— •    LIMITED.- 

30to34.NEW  oxford  STREET, 

BRANCH   OFFICES  ^'^^^^^^^'^^^°^^'^"^"'^"^-W- 
I  48. QUEEN     VICTORIA    ST.  EC. 

SUBSCRI  PTION 
HALF  A    GUINEA   PER    ANNUM   &   UPWARDS. 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


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THE    GIRLHOOD    OF 
QUEEN  VICTORIA 


cyty.  ^L.  (7L.    .^y^^^'z^^i&fc?    ''ic^i^U^a^g' ^tz^n/u^ 


/      THE   GIRLHOOD   OF 

QUEEN  VICTORIA 

A  SELECTION  FROM  HER  MAJESTY'S 
DIARIES     BETWEEN     THE     YEARS 

1832   AND   1840 

PUBLISHED    BY    AUTHORITY    OF 

HIS  MAJESTY  THE  KING 
EDITED  BY  VISCOUNT  ESHER,  G.C.B.,  G.C.V.O. 


IN   TWO   VOLUMES 
VOL.   I 


LONDON 
JOHN   MURRAY,   ALBEMARLE   STREET,    W. 

1912 


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In  the  preparation  of  this  book  much  is  due  to  the 
ungrudging  help  given  to  the  Editor  by  the  late  Mr. 
Hugh  Childers  in  the  tedious  and  complicated  task  of 
tracing  the  numerous  references  to  persons  and  places 
mentioned  in  the  Queen's  Journals. 

Mr.  Hugh  Childers  rendered  valuable  service  to 
the  Editors  of  The  Letters  of  Queen  Victoria,  and  in  the 
preparation  of  this  book  his  labour  and  trouble  were 
no  less  freely  expended  under  trying  circumstances  of 
faihng  health.  His  loss  is  deeply  regretted  by  the 
Editor. 


All  Riohts  Reserved 


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PHEFACE 

These  extracts  from  the  early  Journals  of  Queen 
^  Victoria  have  been  edited  by  command  of  her  son, 
^  King  Edward  VII.,  and  under  the  gracious  auspices 

of  her  grandson,  King  George  V. 
-'  The  Editor  feels  bound  to  express  his  humble 
gratitude  to  the  King,  and  his  deep  obligation  to 
the  Queen,  for  the  encouragement  and  assistance  he 
has  received  from  their  Majesties  in  the  prepara- 
^  tion  of  these  volumes. 

^        Without  the   Queen's  help   and   exact  historical 
knowledge  of  the  period  covered  by  the  Journals, 
many  imperfections  in  the  editing  of  them  would 
U  have  passed  unnoticed. 

?^        The  Editor  must  also  return  his  warmest  thanks 

o  to  H.R.H.  Princess  Christian  of   Schleswig-Holstein, 

^  whose  retentive  memory  of  the  persons  mentioned 

in  the  text  has  been  unreservedly  and  generously 

brought  to  bear  upon  the  notes  to  these  volumes, 

and  to   H.R.H.   Princess  Henry   of  Battenberg,   to 

whose   pious   regard   for   her   Mother's   memory,   as 

Executrix  of  Queen  Victoria's  Will,  the  publication 

g  of  the  Journals  may  be  ascribed. 

f  Furthermore,  he  is  anxious  to  thank  Lord  Rose- 
bery  for  his  friendly  co-operation  in  having  read 
the  proofs,  and  for  many  valuable  suggestions. 


vi  PREFACE 

And,  finally,  he  cannot  sufficiently  acknowledge 
the  care  lavished  upon  the  publication  of  this  book 
by  his  friend  John  Murray,  junior,  whose  inherited 
gifts  have  been  placed  unreservedly  at  the  disposal 
of  the  Editor. 


CONTENTS 

PAGES 

Introduction  ........  1-48 

CHAPTER    I 

1832 

Journey  by  St.  Albans,  Dunstable,  Coventry,  and  Bir- 
mingham to  Welshpool — Arrival  at  Powis  Castle — 
At  Beaumaris — Visit  to  Baron  Hill — Sir  Richard 
and  Lady  Bulkeley — At  Plas  Newydd — Journey  to 
Eaton — Visit  to  Lord  and  Lady  Westminster — 
The  Grosvenor  family — Visit  to  Chats  worth — The 
Cavendish  family — Expedition  to  Haddon  Hall — 
Visit  to  Alton  Towers — A  hunting  episode — Visit 
to  Wytham  Abbey — A  day  in  Oxford — Back  to 
Kensington — Christmas  presents  ....        42-62 

CHAPTER    II 

1833 

Arrival  of  "  Dash  " — Various  lessons — At  the  Opera — 
Kenilworth  ballet — Life  at  Kensington — Re- 
creations— Dinner  party  for  the  King ;  and  the 
guests — The  Opera  and  Taglioni — Somerset  House 
Exhibition  —  The  Duke  of  Orleans  —  Fourteenth 
birthday — Presents— A  birthday  ball — Alexander 
and  Ernest  of  Wiirtemberg — Paganini  and  Mali- 
bran — Journey  to  Portsmouth — At  Norris  Castle 
— On  board  the  Emerald — Visit  to  the  Victory — 
Journey  to  Plymouth — Presentation  of  Colours — 
The  Queen  of  Portugal — Spanish  affairs — At  Drury 
Lane — A  lecture  on  physics  .....         68-90 

vii 


viii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER    III 
1884 


PAGES 


The  Order  of  Maria  Louisa — At  the  Opera — Anna 
Boulena  and  Othello — Ferdinand  of  Saxe-Coburg — 
Feodore,  Princess  von  Hohenlohe-Langenburg  and 
her  children — Visit  to  Windsor — The  King  and 
Queen — Portuguese  affairs — At  St.  Leonards — ^A 
carriage  accident — Death  of  the  Duke  of  Gloucester 
— A  fine  sermon.  ......      91-106 

CHAPTER    IV 

1835 

At  St.  Leonards — A  shipwreck — Lessons — Back  to  Ken- 
sington— Death  of  the  Duke  of  Leuchtenberg — 
Opera  Otello — Visit  to  Windsor — A  concert — Grisi, 
Lablache,  and  Tamburini — Sixteenth  birthday — 
Presents — Eton  Montem — At  the  opera — Death 
of  Countess  Mensdorff — Confirmation — Ceremony 
at  St.  James's — First  Communion — At  Tunbridge 
Wells — Races — Reading — Back  to  Kensington — 
Due  de  Nemours — Journey  to  Bishopthorpe — Har- 
court  family — York  Minster — At  Canterbury — 
Ramsgate — The  King  and  Queen  of  the  Belgians    .   107-139 


CHAPTER    V 

1836 

At  Ramsgate — Back  to  Kensington — Change  of  rooms 
— Marriage  of  the  Queen  of  Portugal — A  dinner 
party — The  theatre — Kemble  and  Macready — 
Helen  Faucit — Charles  Mathews — Visit  to  Windsor 
— State  ball — Princes  Ferdinand  and  Augustus — 
— King  Leopold's  Directions — Visit  of  Ernest  and 
Albert  of  Saxe-Coburg — Their  characteristics  and 
charms — Seventeenth  birthday — The  British  Gal- 
lery— The  Victoria  Asylum — Lablache — ^At  Clare- 
mont — Portuguese   revolution — Events    in    Lisbon 


CONTENTS  ix 

PiLQES 

— King  Leopold  and  Belgium — Death  of  Malibran 

— At   Ramsgate — Books   read — A   dinner   party — 

Louis  Napoleon  at  Strasburg — A  stormy  journey — 

Rochester — Back    to    Kensington — Claremont — A 

gipsy  camp         .......     140-182 


CHAPTER    VI 

1837 

Gipsies — M.  Van  de  Weyer — Books  read — Opera  / 
Puritani — Death  of  Lady  de  L'Isle — The  Drawing- 
room — An  address  from  Lincoln — Eighteenth 
birthday — Ball  at  St.  James's — Stockmar — The 
King's  illness  and  death — News  of  the  Accession — 
The  first  Council — Lord  Melbourne — The  Proclama- 
tion— Official  business — Visit  to  Windsor — Queen 
Adelaide — Addresses — Audiences — Household  ap- 
pointments— The  King's  funeral — Conferring  Orders 
— Leaving  Kensington  Palace — Settling  into  Buck- 
ingham Palace    .......   183-212 

CHAPTER    VII 

1837  {continued) 

Chapter  of  the  Garter — Cabinet  Council — Thalberg — 
State  visit  to  House  of  Lords — Order  of  St.  Catherine 
— ^Anxiety  about  elections — Trying  horses — Windsor 
— ^The  King  of  Wurtemburg — Visit  of  King  Leo- 
pold— Talks  with  Lord  Melbourne — A  game  of 
chess — Departure  of  the  King  and  Queen  of  the 
Belgians — A  review  at  Windsor — Queen  Adelaide — 
Perasi  of  Lord  Melbourne — At  Brighton — Unfortu- 
nate state  of  Portugal — Changes  at  Buckingham 
Palace — Lord  Mayor's  Dinner — Popularity  with  the 
crowd — The  Queen's  Speech — State  visit  to  the 
House  of  Lords — Debates  on  the  Address — Pensions 
— Lord  Melbourne  on  Education — Landseer's  pic- 
tures— Conversations  with  Lord  Melbourne — Lord 
Brougham's  attacks — Magnetism — The  Privy  Purse 
— Character  formation — Windsor  .  .  .    213-248 


PAGES 


X  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER    VIII 

January  and  February,  1838 

Lord  Melbourne's  family — Riding — Canadian  difficulties 
— The  Secretary  at  War — Lord  Melbourne  on  music 
— Lord  Durham  and  Canada — The  State  of  Greece 
— Lord  Melbourne  on  various  people — And  on 
Wellington — Punishments — Army  difficulties — The 
Waverley  Novels — Sir  John  Colborne — The  Fitz- 
clarence  pensions — Lady  Falkland — Lord  Melbourne 
on  histories — Whig  doctrine — Lord  Melbourne  on 
recommendations — Charles  Kean  in  Hamlet — Dolls 
— English  Kings — Sheriff-pricking — Canada  Govern- 
ment Bill — Shakespeare  plays — Government  diffi- 
culties— The  Ballot  question  and  Lord  J.  Russell — 
Wellington's  manner — Lord  Tavistock — Troops  in 
Canada — Lord  Ellenborough — Peerage  ceremonial 
— Princess  Charlotte — Duchess  of  Sutherland — - 
Public  School  education  —  Enthusiasm  —  Wil- 
liam IV.'s  dislikes — Ballot  Question — Anecdote  of 
George  IV. — Children  and  relations — A  Russian 
custom — A  Levee — Pensions — Court  etiquette — 
Lord  Howe  and  Queen  Adelaide — The  question  of 
Marriage 249-290 

CHAPTER    IX 

March,  April,  and  May,  1838 

Bulwer's  plays — Canadian  prisoners — Jamaican  slavery 
— An  Investiture — Commission  on  Promotions — 
Portuguese  affairs — A  long  ride — Lord  and  Lady 
Holland — Talk  on  railways — Lady  Burghersh — 
Lord  Byron — Duke  and  Duchess  of  Gloucester — 
Gallery  of  Portraits — Madame  de  Stael — Broug- 
ham's oddities — Death  of  Louis — The  Royal  Family 
— Soult— Lady  Charlotte  Bury— The  Hertford 
family — Carlton  House  and  Court  parties — Queen 
Anne — George  IV.'s  favourites — Artists — A  State 
ball — The  Church  of  Ireland — Useless  motions — The 


CONTENTS  xi 

PAGES 

Ponsonby  family — Coronation  preparations — Irish 
affairs — Government  difficulties — Singing  of  birds 
— ^The  Fitzclarence  pensions — Election  Committee 
Bill  —  Portugal  and  slavery  —  The  Established 
Church  —  Parliamentary  business  —  Audiences  — 
Talleyrand's  death — Twentieth  birthday — A  State 
ball — Royal  marriages — Eton  customs — Corona- 
tion honours       .......    291-335 


CHAPTER    X 

June,  July,  and  August,  1838 

Thunderstorms — Lord  Durham — Don  Giovanni — New 
Zealand — Eton  Montem — Lord  Barham — Miss  Cha- 
worth  and  Byron — Lord  Melbourne's  household — 
Visit  to  Eton — King  Leopold's  position — Lord  Mel- 
bourne's reminiscences — Public  School  education — 
Irish  legal  difficulties — O'Connell — Eton  and  Ascot — 
South  Sea  Co. — The  Order  of  the  Bath — Coronation 
Honours — Lord  Melbourne  and  the  Garter — Marshal 
Soult — Coronation  Day — Procession  to  Westminster 
— The  ceremony — The  procession — After  the  Corona- 
tion— The  peerage — Illuminations — Lord  Melbourne 
on  the  ceremony — Kings  and  usurpers — Review 
in  Hyde  Park — Popularity  of  enemies — Soult  at 
Eton — Family  questions — Sir  E.  Lyons — Prince 
Royal  of  Bavaria — Dukedoms — The  Sheridan  family 
— Lady  Seymour — Lord  Shelburne's  marriage — ^A 
dinner  party  and  reception — George  III.'s  sons — 
And  his  illnesses — Lady  Sarah  Lennox — Mehemet 
Ali — Lord  Melbourne  and  King  Leopold — Statues — 
The  Queen's  Speech — Lord  Melbourne  on  Lord 
Brougham — Wellington — Belgium  and  Holland  dis- 
pute— The  Irish — Persian  affairs — Pozzo  di  Borgo — 
Lord  Ho  wick — Belgian  affairs — Russian  influence — 
Jewels — Duke  of  Sussex — Lord  North — Mexican 
affairs  —  Concerning  books  —  Lady  Holland  — 
George  III.'s  Prime  Ministers — Colonial  policy         .  336-898 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


VOL.    I 


H.R.H.    Princess  Victoria  and  "Dashy."      From    a   picture 

by  R.   Westall,  E.A.,  at  Windsor  Castle   .  .  .   Frontispiece 


ViOTOiRE  CoNROY.     From  a  sketch  by  Princess  Victoria     . 

*H.R.H.  Princess  Sophia.     From  a  portrait  by  Sir  W.  Ross 

*H.S.H.     Princess     Adelaide    of     Hohenlohe-Langenburg 
From  a  portrait  by  Outekunst    .... 

*H.S.H.    Princess   Sophia   of  Saxe-Coburg,  Countess  Mens 
DORFF-PouiLLY.     From  a  portrait  by  Dickinson    . 

Charles  Mathews.     From  a  sketch  by  Princess  Victoria 

♦H.S.H.  Prince  Albert  of  Saxe-Coburg,  aged  nine.     From 
a  portrait  by  Schneider,  after  Eckhardt 

Madame  Malibran.     From  a  sketch  by  Princess  Victoria 

Gipsy  Women.     From  a  sketch  by  Princess  Victoria  . 

LuiGi  Lablache.     From  a  sketch  by  Princess  Victoria 

*H.M.  Queen  Adelaide.     From  a  portrait  by  Sir  W,  Ross 

♦H.R.H.  Princess  Victoria.     Fram  a  portrait  by  R.  J.  Lane. 
1829 


PACING  PAGE 

48 


*H.S.H.  Charles,  Prestce  of  Leintngen.     From  a  portrait  by 
R.  J.  Lane      ........ 


♦H.R.H.  The  Duchess  of  Kent.     From  a  portrait  by  Stone 


62 
96 

122 

148 

158 
168 
182 
190 
204 

212 

248 

290 


H.S.H.  Prince  Ferdinand  of  Saxe-Coburg,  afterwards  King- 
Consort  OF  Portugal.     From,  a  sketch  by  Princess  Victoria     326 


Zlll 


xiv  LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING  PAGE 

♦H.S.H.     Feodoba,     Pkinoess     of    Hohenlohe-Langenbukg, 

From  a  portrait  by  Outekunst,   1830  ....     362 

♦H.R.H.   The  Dtjo  de  Nemours.     From  a  portrait  by  Eugene 

Lami       .....•••••      394 

Note. — The  illustrations  marked  *  are  taken  from  the  Queen's  private  albums, 
in  which  she  kept  portraits  of  relations  and  friends,  specially  painted  for  her. 


INTRODUCTION 
I 

Apart  from  the  onward  surge  of  Empire  during  both 
epochs,  apart  from  the  flow  of  scientific  thought 
and  the  breeze  of  hterary  enthusiasm  cliaracterising 
them,  there  is  much  in  the  atmospliere  of  Victoria's 
advent  to  the  Throne,  and  her  long  and  glorious 
tenure  of  it,  to  remind  us  of  the  central  figure  of  the 
Elizabethan  age. 

Both  princesses  were  reared  and  educated,  al- 
though for  very  different  reasons,  in  the  uncertain 
glory  of  succession  to  the  Throne.  Both  mounted 
the  Throne  early  in  life  alone  and  unprotected,  at 
a  moment  of  reaction  against  the  abuses  of  monarchy. 
Under  George  III.  as  under  Henry  VIII.  this  country 
had  been  subjected  to  violent  commotion  consequent 
on  the  struggle  for  national  freedom  against  a  foreign 
power.  The  Reformation  in  England  and  the  Napo- 
leonic wars  owed  their  successful  issue  to  the  per- 
sistent determination  of  the  English  people  to  be  free. 
The  hated  marriage  of  Mary  and  the  matrimonial 
scandals  of  George  IV.  had  cast  a  gloom  over  the 
temper  of  the  nation.  Even  the  triumph  of  the 
popular  cause,  due  to  the  grudging  support  given  by 
William  IV.  to  his  Whig  Ministers,  had  not  restored 
the  forfeited  prestige  of  the  Monarchy. 

Reaction  was  the  corollary  against  the  fear  in- 
1—2  1 


2  INTRODUCTION  Iinthod. 

spired  by  Philip  in  the  one  case  and  the  humiliating 
memories  of  Queen  Caroline  in  the  other.  That  re- 
action came  in  the  shape  of  the  popular  enthusiasm 
inspired  by  a  young  and  attractive  Tudor  princess, 
who  at  Hatfield  on  a  late  November  afternoon  in  1558 
heard  from  Cecil  that  she  was  Queen  of  England. 
Three  centuries  later  a  similar  outburst  followed  the 
accession  of  another  youthful  princess  only  just 
eighteen  years  old,  looking  scarcely  more  than  a  child, 
when  she  received  the  homage  of  Lord  Melbourne 
at  Kensington  Palace  on  a  June  morning  of  1837. 

It  is  tempting  to  follow  this  seductive  pathway 
through  the  devious  alleys  of  historical  comparison 
and  contrasts.  The  troubles  of  Elizabeth's  childhood 
at  Hunsdon,  the  pitiful  laments  of  her  excellent 
governess  at  the  poverty  of  her  ward's  surroundings, 
and  the  hostile  atmosphere  surrounding  her  person 
were  reflected  in  a  minor  degree  within  the  precincts 
of  Kensington  during  the  early  years  of  Princess 
Victoria's  life. 

Our  concern,  however,  is  not  with  Elizabeth  but 
with  Victoria,  with  the  England  into  which  she  was 
born,  and  with  the  influences  which  helped  to  give  her 
character  and  bearing  a  certain  strength  and  dignity, 
and  attuned  her  heart,  not  perhaps  to  deep  tenderness, 
but  to  much  compassion. 

The  pen  recoils  from  an  attempt  to  tell  again  the 
story  of  Princess  Victoria's  birth  and  early  life,  or  to 
describe  once  more  the  political  events  of  her  first 
years  upon  the  Throne.  Moreover,  these  volumes 
tell  their  own  tale.  They  set  forth  in  the  young 
Princesses'  own  artless  words  the  daily  facts  of  her 


iNTROD.i  THE    SOUL    OF   A    PRINCESS  8 

existence  at  Kensington,  or  when  making  some 
provincial  royal  progress  in  the  company  of  her 
mother. 

The  reader  can  catch  many  a  glimpse  here  and 
there  of  the  soul  of  a  Princess,  proud  and  head- 
strong, affectionate  and  sometimes  perverse,  seated 
on  the  lonely  heights  of  the  Throne.  The  portrait 
is  here,  within  these  pages.  It  is  not  unskilfully 
drawn,  when  the  youth  of  the  artist  is  borne  in  mind. 
At  the  time  when  the  first  entries  in  these  Journals 
were  made,  the  writer  was  thirteen  years  old.  The 
last  page  was  written  on  the  day  of  her  marriage. 
She  had  been  two  years  a  Queen,  and  she  was  in 
her  twenty-first  year. 

Princess  Victoria,  the  onlv  child  of  the  Duke  and 
Duchess  of  Kent,  and  the  ultimate  heiress  in  direct 
succession  of  George  III.,  was  born  on  May  24,  1819. 
In  1819  the  aspect  of  English  country  life  was  not  very 
different  from  that  of  to-dav  ;  if  the  roads  were  not 
so  well  surfaced,  and  if  woodlands  were  rather  more 
plentiful,  the  fields  and  hedgerows,  the  farmsteads 
with  cottages  grouped  around  them,  the  Tudor 
manor-houses,  the  Georgian  villas,  the  church  spires, 
and  the  village  greens  have  remained  unchanged. 
Except  for  lines  of  railway  and  telegraph  poles,  the 
hop-fields  of  Kent  and  the  Surrey  commons  have 
kept  their  shape  and  contours.  So  that,  in  spite  of 
the  miracles  wrought  by  machinery  in  the  minutiae 
of  life,  any  one  of  our  grandparents  cruising  in  an 
airship  at  an  elevation  of  some  hundreds  of  feet 
over  the  lands  where  he  hunted  and  shot,  or  even 
the  great  town  in  which  he  spent  his  summer  months, 


4  INTRODUCTION  [introd. 

would  probably  be  unconscious  of  much  distinctive 
change. 

Young  people,  however,  think  it  odd  when  they 
read  that  when  Princess  Victoria  was  taken  from 
Kensington  to  Claremont — a  journe}'  now  accom- 
plished with  as  little  thought  as  would  then  have 
been  given  to  a  drive  between  the  Palace  and  Hyde 
Park — it  was  considered  a  "  family  removal "  of 
such  moment  as  to  require  all  the  provision  and 
precautions  associated  to-day  with  an  autumn 
holiday. 

To  those  still  young,  but  old  enough  to  remember 
Queen  Victoria,  it  may  seem  hardly  credible  that 
she  was  born  into  a  world  devoid  of  all  the  marvels 
of  steam  and  electric  contrivance  that  appear  to  us 
the  necessities,  and  not  merely  the  luxuries,  of  life. 
How  much  more  difficult  it  must  be  for  them  to 
realise  that  when  the  young  Princess  (whom  they 
remember  a  great  and  mysterious  figure,  welcoming 
back  only  the  other  day  her  soldiers  from  South 
Africa,  and  rejoicing  in  their  victories)  was  carried 
into  the  saloon  of  Kensington  Palace  to  be  received 
by  Archbishop  Manners  Sutton  into  the  Church  of 
Christ,  the  mighty  spirit  of  Napoleon  brooded  still 
behind  the  palisades  of  Longwood,  and  George  III.'s 
white  and  wearj^  head  could  still  be  seen  at  the 
window  of  his  library  at  Windsor ! 

The  Victorian  era  covers  the  period  of  the 
expansion  of  England  into  the  British  Empire. 
The  soldier,  still  young  to-day,  who  put  the  coping- 
stone  on  the  Empire  in  Africa  in  1900  is  linked  by 
the  life  of  the  Queen  to  his  forbears,  who,  when  she 


iNTROD.]  1819— A    GLOOMY    YEAR  5 

was  born,  were  still  nursing  the  wounds  gloriously 
earned  four  years  before  in  laying  its  foundation 
in  a  Belgian  cornfield. 

That  year  1819,  however,  was  a  year  of  deep 
despondency  in  England.  In  Europe  it  was  the 
"  glorious  year  of  Metternich,"  then  at  the  height  of 
his  maleficent  power.  Europe  was  quit  of  Napoleon, 
but  had  got  Metternich  in  exchange,  and  was  ill 
pleased  with  the  bargain.  Great  Britain,  it  is  true, 
was  free,  but  our  people  were  overwrought  by 
poverty  and  suffering.  The  storm-swell  of  the  great 
Napoleonic  wars  still  disturbed  the  surface  of  Eng- 
lish life,  and  few  realised  that  they  were  better  off 
than  they  had  been  during  the  past  decade. 

At  Holland  House,  its  coteries  thinner  but  still 
talking.  Lady  Holland — old  Madagascar — was  still 
debating  what  inscription  should  record  the  merits 
of  Mr.  Fox  upon  his  monument  in  the  Abbey  for 
the  edification  of  future  ages.  In  St.  James's  Place 
Sam  Rogers's  breakfasts  had  not  lost  their  vogue. 
Tommy  Moore  was  still  dining  with  Horace  Twiss, 
and  meeting  Kean,  and  Mrs.  Siddons,  "  cold  and 
queenlike,"  on  her  way  to  view  Caroline  of  Bruns- 
wick's "  things  "  shortly  to  be  sold  at  Christie's,  or 
to  criticise  Miss  O'Neill's  dress  rehearsals.  On  the 
very  day  that  Princess  Victoria  was  born,  Byron 
was  writing  to  John  Murray  from  Venice  "  in  the 
agonies  of  a  sirocco,"  and  clamouring  for  the  proofs 
of  the  first  canto  of  Don  Juan.  In  that  year  Ivanhoe 
was  finished,  and  in  the  hands  of  eager  readers; 
whilst  Scott  was  receiving  at  Abbotsford  a  certain 
Prince  Leopold  of  Saxe-Coburg,  uncle  of  the  baby 


6  INTRODUCTION  [introd. 

at  Kensington,  destined  thereafter  to  play  a  large 
part  in  her  early  life.  Keats  had  just  published 
Endymion.  It  was  his  last  year  in  England  before 
going  south  to  die.  And  it  was  Shelley's  annus 
mirahilis :  the  year  in  which  he  wrote  Prometheus 
and  The  Cenci — an  achievement,  some  have  since  said, 
unparalleled  in  English  poetry  since  Shakespeare 
lived  and  wrote. 

The  Excursion  had  been  published  five  years 
before,  but  Wordsworth  was  at  Rydal  Mount  com- 
pleting The  White  Doe  of  Rylston.  Southey  was 
Poet  Laureate.  Three  years  before,  in  the  "  wild 
and  desolate  neighbourhood  amid  great  tracts  of 
bleak  land  enclosed  by  stone  dykes  sweeping  up 
Clayton  heights,"  Charlotte  Bronte's  eyes  had  opened 
upon  her  sad  world.  Carlyle,  then  a  young  teacher 
in  Edinburgh,  was  passing  through  that  stormy 
period  of  the  soul  which  comes  sooner  or  later  to 
every  one  whose  manhood  is  worth  testing  by  God. 
And  half-way  between  Horncastle  and  Spilsby,  on 
the  lower  slope  of  a  Lincolnshire  wold,  Alfred  Tenny- 
son was  reading  Pope's  Iliad  and  himself  "  writing 
an  epic  of  6,000  lines  a  la  Walter  Scott."  At  Shrews- 
bury School  under  Dr.  Butler,  Charles  Darwin,  then 
a  boy  of  ten,  had  already  begun  to  develop  a  taste 
for  "  collecting,"  manifested  in  "  franks  "  and  seals 
and  coins.  Robert  Browning,  a  turbulent  and  de- 
structive child  of  seven,  had  already  commenced 
making  rhymes  less  complicated,  but  not  less  am- 
bitious, than  those  which  puzzled  his  readers  sixty 
years  later.  Goethe,  who  had  grown  to  manhood 
within  earshot  of  Frederick  the  Great  and   of  the 


mTROD.i  KING    GEORGE    III.  7 

Empress  Maria  Theresa,  was  living  at  Weimar  with 
many  years  of  Hfe  still  before  him,  corresponding 
with  the  boy  Mendelssohn,  later  to  be  a  welcome 
guest,  at  Windsor,  of  the  little  Princess,  then  in  her 
cradle  in  Kensington  Palace.  Mazzini,  aged  fourteen, 
was  at  the  University  in  Genoa,  a  rebellious  lad,  but 
already  affecting  the  deep  mourning  dress  he  never 
altered  later  in  life.  Cavour,  aged  nine,  was  at 
school  in  Turin.  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence  was  in  that 
year  engaged  in  finishing  his  magnificent  series  of 
historical  portraits  afterwards  to  find  a  home  at 
Windsor  Castle,  illustrating  for  all  time  the  Congress 
of  Vienna  and  the  story  of  the  Great  Coalition  against 
Napoleon. 

Under  this  galaxy  of  stars,  some  slowly  sinking 
below  the  horizon,  and  others  just  rising  above  it, 
Princess  Victoria  was  born. 

In  the  year  following,  King  George  III.  died. 
Historians,  mostly  partisans  of  the  Whig  party, 
have  not  done  this  King  justice.  Of  all  Sovereigns 
who  have  ever  reigned  in  England,  none  so  com- 
pletely represented  the  average  man  among  his 
subjects.  The  King's  blameless  morals,  his  regular 
habits,  his  conservative  instincts  and  narrow  obsti- 
nacy, were  characteristics  which  he  shared  with  the 
people  he  ruled.  Of  the  House  of  Hanover  he  was 
the  first  King  born  in  England,  and  he  spoke  his 
native  tongue  without  a  foreign  accent.  If  he  could 
have  reconciled  it  to  the  family  tradition,  he  would 
have  married  an  English  wife.  He  was  essentially 
British  in  character  and  sentiment.  Had  he  not  been 
overborne   by   his  Ministers,  he   would   have   fought 


8  INTRODUCTION  [introd. 

out  to  a  finish  the  war  with  America,  and  peace  with 
Washington  would  not  have  been  concluded.  He 
never  for  a  moment  contemplated  abandoning  the 
struggle  against  Napoleon.  No  party  whip  could 
have  taken  more  trouble  to  keep  his  chief  in  office 
than  did  George  III.  to  support  Mr.  Pitt  throughout 
that  Minister's  first  administration.  He  has  been 
called  despotic,  but  that  adjective  can  only  be 
used,  in  speaking  of  him,  in  the  sense  that  he  wished 
to  see  his  views  prevail.  He  was  a  good  partisan 
fighter,  and  this,  in  the  main,  his  subjects  never 
disliked.  A  close  and  impartial  examination  of  the 
character  of  George  III.  discloses  a  temperament 
strongly  resembling  that  which  her  Ministers  were 
destined  in  the  middle  and  later  years  of  her  reign 
to  find  in  his  granddaughter.  Strong  tenacity  of 
view  and  of  purpose,  a  vivid  sense  of  duty,  a  firm 
though  unrevealed  belief  in  the  transcendental  right 
of  the  Sovereign  to  rule,  a  curious  mingling  of  eti- 
quette and  domestic  simplicity,  and  a  high  standard 
of  domestic  virtue  were  marked  characteristics  of 
George  III.  and  of  Queen  Victoria.  Both  these 
descendants  of  Princess  Sophia  had  little  in  common 
with  the  Stewarts,  but,  like  Elizabeth  and  the  Tudors, 
they  had  intense  pride  in  England,  and  they  showed 
a  firm  resolve  to  cherish  and  keep  intact  their  mighty 
inheritance. 

When  George  III.  died  at  Windsor  in  1820,  and 
during  the  ten  following  years.  Princess  Victoria's 
uncle,  George  IV.,  reigned  as  King.  For  the  previous 
ten  years  he  had  reigned  as  Prince  Regent.  If  his 
father  has   been  misjudged,  this   Sovereign  too  has 


iNTROD.]  GEORGE    IV.'S    CHARACTER  9 

been  misrepresented  by  those  who  have  made  it 
their  business  to  write  the  poHtical  history  of  our 
country.  He  is  generally  described  as  being  wholly 
bad,  and  devoid  of  any  decent  quality  as  a  man 
and  as  a  Sovereign.  Decency  perhaps  was  not  his 
strong  point ;  but  though  it  is  not  possible  to  esteem 
him  as  a  man,  George  IV.  was  not  a  bad  King.  In 
his  youth,  as  Prince  of  Wales,  in  spite  of  glaring 
follies  and  many  vices,  he  possessed  a  certain  charm. 
When  a  boy  he  had  broken  loose  from  the  over-strict 
and  over-judicious  watchfulness  of  his  parents.  Kept 
in  monotonous  seclusion,  cloistered  within  the  narrow 
confines  of  a  Palace,  fettered  by  an  Oriental  system 
of  domestic  spies,  cut  off  from  intercourse  with  the 
intellectual  movement  of  the  outer  world,  the  roval 
children,  warm-blooded  and  of  rebellious  spirit,  ran 
secret  riot  after  a  fashion  which  modern  memoirs 
have  revealed  in  Borgian  colours.  It  was  a  natural 
reaction  of  young  animal  life  against  unnatural  and 
unhealthy  restraint.  The  Prince  of  Wales,  when 
he  was  eighteen  years  old,  was  unwillingly  and 
perforce  liberated.  It  followed,  simply  enough,  that 
he  became  a  source  of  constant  grief  and  annoyance 
to  his  royal  father.  Not  only  were  the  canons  of 
morality  violated  by  him  with  little  regard  for  the 
outward  decorum  due  to  his  great  position,  but  the 
young  Prince  plunged  into  a  turgid  sea  of  politics, 
and  it  was  not  long  before  he  stood  forth  as  the 
nominal  head  of  a  faction  bitterly  opposed  to  the 
King's  Ministers,  and  the  head  and  front  of  personal 
offence  to  the  King  himself. 

In  the  eyes  of    high   society   he    was  a    Prince 


10  INTRODUCTION  [introd. 

Charming,  vicious  if  you  will,  a  spendthrift  and  a 
rake,  the  embodiment  of  a  reactionary  spirit  against 
the  dulness  and  monotonous  respectability  of  the 
Court.  He  was  known  to  appreciate  beautiful  ob- 
jects as  well  as  beautiful  faces.  He  was  not  alto- 
gether without  literary  culture.  He  appeared  to  be 
instinctively  drawn  to  the  arts  and  sciences  with  a 
full  sense  of  the  joy  of  patronage,  and  he  made  it 
clear  to  every  one  that  he  welcomed  the  free  in- 
tercourse of  men  of  all  ranks,  provided  that  they 
possessed  some  originality  of  character  or  some 
distinction  of  mind.  In  Mr.  Fox  he  found  a  willing 
mentor  and  an  irresistible  boon  companion.  Among 
that  little  group  of  Whigs,  of  whom  Sheridan  was 
the  ornament  and  the  disgrace,  he  found  precisely 
the  atmosphere  which  suited  him,  so  completely  was 
it  the  antithesis  of  that  in  which  his  boyhood  had 
been  spent.  As  he  grew  older,  the  rose-tinted  vices 
of  his  youth  became  grey  and  unlovely,  while  the 
shortcomings  of  his  mind  and  his  heart  were  more 
readily  discerned  ;  but  much  of  his  personal  charm 
remained.  In  his  most  degenerate  days,  in  the  years 
of  his  regency  and  kingship,  when  he  dragged  into 
the  public  eye  the  indecencies  of  his  domestic  mis- 
fortunes and  paraded  his  mistresses  before  the 
world,  he  still  managed  to  retain  a  curious  and 
genuine  hold  upon  the  affections  of  his  Ministers. 
Although  he  possessed  none  of  their  regard,  he  was 
not  altogether  without  some  following  among  the 
people. 

George   IV.'s   merits     were    a    certain    epicurean 
kindness   of   heart  and  a   not   ungenerous  desire  to 


iNTROD.]  GEORGE    IV.'S    ARTISTIC    TASTES  11 

give  pleasure,  coupled  with  a  true  sense  of  his  con- 
stitutional position  and  a  firm-drawn  resolve  to 
distinguish  between  his  private  predilections  and 
his  public  duty.  The  nation  owes  him  very  little, 
but  in  any  case  it  owes  him  this,  that  he  was  the 
first  Sovereign  since  Charles  I.  who  showed  a  blun- 
dering reverence  for  beautiful  things.  He  enlarged 
and  consolidated  the  artistic  wealth  of  the  nation. 
A  life-long  patron  of  artists,  he  fostered  the  growth 
of  national  art.  He  added  largely  to  the  splendid 
collections  which  now  adorn  Windsor  and  the  metro- 
polis. Whatever  the  final  judgment  passed  upon 
him  may  be,  both  as  a  man  and  as  a  Sovereign,  he 
must  in  strict  justice  be  spared  the  unqualified  con- 
tempt with  which  superior  spirits,  taking  their  cue 
from  Thackeray,  have  treated  him.  It  should  weigh 
with  every  man  who  reads  The  Four  Georges  that 
King  George  IV.  was  certainly  liked,  and  was  cer- 
tainly not  despised,  by  Sir  Walter  Scott.  In  his 
later  years  the  old  King  displayed  some  little  kindness 
to  his  niece,  the  young  Princess  Victoria,  who  had 
succeeded  his  own  daughter  as  prospective  heiress 
of  England.  If  he  saw  her  but  rarely,  he  now  and 
again  betrayed  knowledge  of  her  existence,  and  once 
took  her  for  a  drive  in  his  pony-carriage.  There  are 
still  extant  some  short  letters  which  she  wrote  to 
him  in  a  large  baby  hand.  In  1830  he  died,  and  was 
succeeded  by  his  brother  the  Duke  of  Clarence. 

William  IV.  was  the  most  fortunate  of  the  chil- 
dren of  George  III.  Thanks  to  his  profession  as  a 
sea-officer,  he  escaped  early  from  the  stifling  atmos- 
phere of  the  Court,  and  had  the  glorious  privilege 


12  INTRODUCTION 


[INTROD. 


of  serving  under  the  command  of  Hood  and  of 
Nelson.  His  sea  service  ended  when  he  was  only 
twenty-five  years  old.  It  left  the  usual  dominant 
sea-mark  upon  his  character.  Like  so  many  gallant 
sailors,  his  mind  was  untrained  and  ill-disciplined. 
His  sense  of  duty  was  strong,  though  undiscerning. 
He  was  courageous  and  truthful.  He  had  ten 
children  by  Mrs.  Jordan  born  out  of  wedlock,  but 
they  were  all  well  cared  for  and  never  disowned. 
He  realised  his  constitutional  duty  sufficiently  to 
see  that  he  must  yield  to  the  expressed  will  of  the 
nation,  but  he  yielded  so  clumsily  that  all  men 
believed  him  to  be  coerced.  Wisely  anxious  to  be 
well  known  and  popular  among  his  subjects,  he 
chose  the  curious  method  of  walking  down  St. 
James's  Street  dressed  in  long  boots  and  spurs  during 
the  most  crowded  hour  of  the  afternoon.  His  pre- 
decessor had  lived  the  last  years  of  his  life  in  seclusion 
and  silence ;  he  determined  therefore  to  give  full 
scope  to  his  naturally  garrulous  disposition.  He 
talked  in  season  and  out  of  season  with  an  irrespon- 
sibility which  savoured  of  the  quarter-deck,  but 
wholly  without  the  salt  of  the  sea.  By  his  Ministers 
he  was  regarded  with  kindliness,  although  it  cannot 
be  said,  in  spite  of  Lord  Grey's  panegyric,  that  they 
held  him  in  much  respect.  By  the  middle  classes 
he  was  looked  upon  with  amused  and  not  unfriendly 
amazement.  In  the  eyes  of  the  masses  he  was 
"  Billy,"  their  sailor-King,  and  among  monarchical 
safeguards  there  are  few  stronger  than  a  nickname 
and  the  aureole  of  the  Navy. 

William  IV.  mirried  late  in  life  Princess  Adelaide 


iNTBOD.]  THE    DUCHESS    OF    KENT  18 

of  Saxe-Coburg-Meiningen,  but  the  fates  left  him 
with  no  surviving  children  when  he  ascended  the 
Throne  in  1830.  During  his  reign  of  seven  years  the 
King  showed  much  kindness  to  the  little  niece  who 
was  clearly  designated  as  his  successor.  Her  mother, 
however,  contrived  to  irritate  him  by  giving  too 
much  prominence  to  the  obvious  fact  of  her  daughter's 
heirship  to  the  Throne.  By  "  progresses  "  made  on 
different  occasions  and  undertaken  with  considerable 
ceremonial,  the  Duchess  of  Kent  excited  the  wrath 
of  the  King,  who  made  no  attempt  to  conceal  his 
annoyance,  and  took  evident  pleasure  in  the  display 
of  it  at  embarrassing  moments  in  public.  It  was 
partly  owing  to  the  friction  between  her  mother 
and  King  William  and  to  the  unpleasant  atmosphere 
created  in  consequence  of  these  quarrels,  and  partly 
to  the  presence  in  her  mother's  household  of  Sir  John 
Conroy  and  his  family — persons  very  distasteful  to 
the  young  Princess — that  Queen  Victoria  was  in  the 
habit  of  saying  that  her  childhood  had  been  a  sad 
one.  These  Journals,  begun  in  her  fourteenth  year, 
betray  no  sense  of  childish  sorrow,  and  no  reader  can 
glean  from  them  any  confirmation  of  her  statement 
that  her  early  life  was  unhappy.  It  must  be  remem- 
bered, however,  that  this  Journal  was  not  a  sealed 
book.  It  was  not  privately  put  away  under  lock 
and  key  and  reserved  only  for  the  eye  of  the  writer. 
The  young  Princess's  Journals  were  commenced  in  a 
volume  given  to  her  by  her  mother  for  the  express 
purpose  that  she  should  record  the  facts  of  her 
daily  life,  and  that  this  record  of  facts  and  impressions 
should  be  open  to  the  inspection  of  the  child's  gover- 


14  INTRODUCTION  [introd. 

ness  as  well  as  of  her  mother.  It  is  natural,  therefore, 
that  the  earlier  volumes  should  contain  very  little 
beyond  the  obvious  and  simple  things  which  any 
girl  would  be  likely  to  write  down  if  she  were  at- 
tempting to  describe  her  life  from  day  to  day.  When 
the  Princess  ascended  the  Throne  and  assumed  her 
queenly  independence,  the  tone  of  the  Journals 
changes  at  once.  It  becomes  immediately  clear  to 
the  reader  that  while  the  Princess's  Journal  was 
written  for  her  mother,  the  Queen's  Journal  was 
written  for  herself.  One  of  her  earliest  entries  after 
her  succession  was  to  state  her  intention  of  invariably 
seeing  her  Ministers  alone;  and  she  might  have 
added,  had  she  thought  it  worth  stating,  that  her 
Journal  also  would  in  future  be  seen  by  her  alone. 

Journals  are  often  said  to  be  useful  to  the  his- 
torian. This  theory  is  based  on  the  assumption, 
hardly  borne  out  by  experience,  that  he  who  writes 
a  journal  writes  what  is  true.  A  journal  is  supposed 
to  record  events,  great  or  small,  which  are  happening 
at  the  moment,  and  to  convey  impressions  about 
personages  with  whom  the  writer  comes  in  contact, 
or  who  loom  sufficiently  large  to  justify  their  being 
mentioned.  When,  however,  it  is  remembered  how 
inaccurate  our  information  generally  is,  and  how 
mistaken  we  often  are  about  the  character  and 
motives  even  of  those  we  know  intimately,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  the  most  brilliant  diarist  should 
frequently  state  facts  which  cannot  be  verified  from 
other  sources,  and  colour  the  personality  of  his  con- 
temporaries in  a  manner  quite  unjustifiable  unless 
truth  be  deliberately  sacrificed  to  the  picturesque. 


INTROD.1  THE    QUEEN'S    DIARIES  15 

The  Journal  of  Charles  Greville,  perhaps  the  most 
famous  of  English  modern  journals,  is  full  of  gross 
inaccuracies  in  matters  of  fact  and  still  grosser 
distortions  of  character.  It  is,  nevertheless,  a 
striking  picture  of  the  political  and  social  world 
haunted  by  that  persistent  eavesdropper,  and,  like 
any  well-written  journal,  throws  a  vivid  and  inter- 
esting light  upon  the  character  of  the  writer. 

Similar  criticisms  apply  to  most  famous  memoirs, 
like  Saint-Simon's  or  Lord  Hervey's,  written  with  a 
view  to  serving  the  historian  of  the  future,  and  with 
the  distinct  purpose  of  giving  bias  to  history. 

They  do  not  apply  to  these  diaries  of  Queen 
Victoria.  The  Queen  makes  no  attempt  to  analyse 
character  or  the  meaning  of  events.  She  never 
strives  after  effect.  Her  statements  are  just  homely 
descriptions  of  everyday  life  and  plain  references  to 
the  people  she  meets  at  Kensington  or  at  Windsor. 
If  the  young  Princess  sees  a  play  that  pleases  her  or 
hears  a  song  that  touches  her,  she  says  so.  If  the 
Queen  hears  something  said  that  strikes  her  as  original 
or  quaint,  the  saying  is  put  on  record.  She  is  not 
writing  for  the  historian.  She  writes  for  her  own 
pleasure  and  amusement,  although  there  is  always 
present  to  her  mind  a  vague  idea,  common  enough 
at  the  time,  that  to  "  keep  a  journal  "  is  in  some 
undefined  way  an  act  of  grace. 

The  reader  should  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that 
these  Journals  are  the  simple  impressions  of  a  young 
girl,  not  twenty  years  old,  about  her  own  life  and 
about  the  people  she  met.  This  constitutes  their 
charm.     She  writes  of  her  daily  movements,  and  of 


16  INTRODUCTION  [wtrod. 

the  men  and  happenings  that  gave  her  pleasure. 
Either  by  nature  or  design,  she  avoided  the  mention 
of  disagreeable  things,  so  that  these  early  Journals 
give  one  a  notion  of  a  life  happily  and  simply  led. 

If  they  throw  no  new  light  on  the  history  of  the 
period,  they  will  give  to  future  generations  an 
insight,  of  never-failing  interest,  into  the  character 
of  the  young  Queen. 


II 

Princess  Victoria's  first  Journal  was  commenced 
on  August  1,  1832.  She  was  thirteen  years  old. 
The  first  entry  is  made  in  a  small  octavo  volume 
half  bound  in  red  morocco,  of  a  very  unpreten- 
tious kind.^  On  the  first  page  there  appear  the 
words,  "  This  book  Mamma  gave  me,  that  I  might 
write  the  journal  of  my  journey  to  Wales  in  it. — 
Victoria,  Kensington  Palace,  July  81." 

The  Duchess  of  Kent  was  at  this  time  forty-six 
years  of  age.  She  had  been  a  widow  for  twelve 
years.  She  was  the  fourth  daughter  of  the  Duke 
of  Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld,  and  was  first  married  to 
the  Prince  of  Leiningen-Dachburg-Hadenburg.  He 
was  twenty-three  years  her  senior.  By  him  she  had 
one  son,  Charles,  often  mentioned  in  these  Journals, 
and  one  daughter  Feodorowna,  subsequently  married 
to  Ernest,  Prince  of  Hohenlohe-Langenburg. 

Two  years  after  her  second  marriage,  to  the  fourth 
son  of  George  III.,  the  Duchess  of  Kent  was  left  a 

1  In  later  years  the  volumes  of  the  Queen's  Journals  were  of  larger 
size,  but  they  were  always  simply  bound  in  half  calf  or  half  morocco. 


iNTROD.]  THE    QUEEN'S    UPBRINGING  17 

widow  for  the  second  time.  Crippled  by  the  Duke's 
debts,  that  she  was  quite  unable  to  pay,^  with  three 
young  children  on  her  hands,  she  was  miserably  poor. 
Her  jointure  yielded  her  an  income  of  under  £300. 
Her  brother  Leopold,  then  living  at  Claremont,  came 
to  her  assistance,  and  made  her  an  allowance  of 
£8,000  a  year. 

In  1825,  when  it  became  evident  that  her  daughter 
Princess  Victoria  would  in  all  probability  succeed 
to  the  Throne  of  England,  Parliament  voted  an 
annuity  of  £6,000  to  the  Duchess,  for  the  main- 
tenance and  education  of  her  child,  and  this 
was  subsequently  increased  after  the  accession  of 
Wilham  IV. 

The  upbringing  of  her  daughter  became  her 
absorbing  occupation,  and,  shutting  herself  up  in 
Kensington  Palace,  she  devoted  herself  to  the  child's 
education. 

The  lessons  of  Princess  Victoria's  childhood  were 
superintended  by  the  Dean  of  Chester.  Her  educa- 
tion, judged  by  the  standards  of  to-day,  was  not  of 
an  exceptionally  high  order.  It  would  be  interesting 
to  know  what  old  Roger  Ascham  would  have 
thought  of  the  Dean  of  Chester's  curriculum.  So 
far  as  can  be  gathered  from  her  own  childish  records 
and  from  the  correspondence  and  memoirs  of  those 
who  had  access  to  Kensington,  she  was  taught  the 
ordinary  things  which  children  are  supposed  to  learn. 
Fortunately,  perhaps,  no  effort  of  any  special  kind  was 
made  to  train  her  mind  or  mould  her  character,  with  a 

1  They  were  ultimately  paid  by  the  Queen  immediately  after  her 
accession. 

1—3 


18  INTRODUCTION  [introd. 

view  to  the  responsibilities  which  lay  before  her  or 
to  the  position  she  appeared  destined  to  fill.  When, 
at  a  later  stage,  the  Bishops  of  London  and  Lincoln 
were  requested  to  draw  up  a  report,  for  presentation 
to  Parliament,  upon  her  moral  and  intellectual  attain- 
ments, they  found  no  difficulty  in  giving  credit  to 
the  Duchess  of  Kent  for  the  conscientious  manner  in 
which  she  had  endeavoured  to  educate  the  heiress 
to  the  Throne.  We  may,  however,  take  leave  to 
doubt  whether  those  entrusted  with  the  Princess's 
education  were  teachers  endowed  with  any  special 
aptitudes ;  and  it  is  certain  that  the  outlook  of  the 
Duchess  herself,  although  practical  and  wise,  was 
not  of  that  discerning  character  which  enabled  her 
to  differentiate  between  a  commonplace  education 
and  its  more  subtle  forms.  It  was  precisely  what 
might  have  been  expected  from  one  whose  youth  had 
been  spent  in  a  small  German  Court,  and  whose  later 
opportunities  had  not  brought  her  into  contact 
with  highly  trained  and  thoughtful  minds. 

A  foreign  observer  and  critic  once  suggested  a 
doubt  whether  the  Queen  could  have  maintained 
through  life  her  admirable  mental  equilibrium  if 
education  had  developed  in  her  high  intellectual 
curiosity  or  fantastic  imagination.  It  is  an  inter- 
esting speculation.  Soundness  of  judgment  possibly 
rests  upon  the  receptive  rather  than  upon  the  creative 
faculties,  and  upon  physical  rather  than  upon  in- 
tellectual activities.  It  may,  as  has  been  said, 
require  a  rare  type  of  intelligence — that  of  Disraeli — 
to  combine  ideas  and  dreams  with  the  realities  of 
public    life.     In    the    domain    of    learning,    Queen 


iNTROD.]         MIND    AND    CHARACTER    TRAINING  19 

Victoria  had  very  little  in  common  with  Elizabeth 
or  Avith  any  Sovereign  of  the  Renaissance.  Her 
mother  and  the  worthy  Dean,  who  watched  over 
her  youth,  were  content  to  foster  the  quality  of 
good  sense,  and  to  inculcate  high  standards  of 
private  and  public  virtue.  Her  future  subjects, 
could  they  have  been  consulted,  would  have  strongly 
approved.  In  after-years  the  English  middle-class 
recognised  in  the  Queen  a  certain  strain  of  German 
sentimentality  which  they  affectionately  condoned, 
and  a  robust  equilibrium  of  mind  which  they  thor- 
oughly admired. 

It  is  as  well,  therefore,  that  events  took  the  shape 
they  did,  and  that  the  mind  and  character  of  the 
Princess  were  trained  upon  simple  lines  in  accordance 
with  the  practice  of  the  average  citizen  families  sub- 
sequently to  be  her  subjects.  In  years  to  come  the 
Queen  was  perhaps  better  able  to  look  at  events 
and  persons  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  majority 
of  her  people  than  would  have  been  possible  if  her 
education  had  given  her  a  high  place  among  the 
intellectuals.  It  was  a  saving  grace  throughout  her 
long  reign  that  while  she  could  recognise  intellect  and 
capacity,  her  sympathies  were  with  average  people, 
whose  feelings  and  opinions  she  more  readily  under- 
stood and  in  reality  represented. 

In  these  days,  when  Accomplishments,  as  they 
were  called  in  the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
are  no  longer  esteemed  in  young  people,  and  their 
place  has  been  usurped  by  athletic  exercises,  it  is 
difficult  to  describe,  in  a  way  that  appeals  to  the 
serious    imagination,    the    girlish    tastes    of    Princess 


20    ^.^  INTRODUCTION  [introd. 

„0>^^  Perhaps   the    woHd    has    not    lost    ™uch 
i^ecause  young  ladies  to-day  learn  to  play  golf  and 
have  ceased  to  sing  duets. 

In  the  thirties,  music  and  painting  and  a  know- 
ledge of  modern  languages  were  the  necessary  equip- 
ment of  a  girl  destined  to  move  in  Society.  It 
mattered  little  how  reedy  and  small  the  voice,  she 
was  expected  to  vocalise  like  Grisi  and  to  sing 
duets  with  Mario. 

The  Queen  had  been  well  trained  musically, 
according  to  the  lights  of  those  days.  She  could 
appreciate  the  simpler  forms  of  melody,  especially 
Italian  opera,  while  she  could  sing  and  play  suffi- 
ciently well  to  give  much  pleasure  to  herself  and 
mild  pleasure  to  others.  As  a  linguist,  as  a  reader, 
and  as  a  writer  of  letters  and  memoranda  she  had 
no  pretensions  to  pre-eminence ;  but  she  could  speak 
modern  languages  as  well  as  any  Queen  is  called  upon 
to  do,  she  could  read  and  appreciate  high  literature, 
although  not  without  effort,  and  she  could  express 
herself  with  pungency  and  vigour,  although  not  with 
any  marked  literary  skill  or  distinction  of  style. 

Her  drawings  and  water-colour  sketches  were 
through  life  a  constant  source  of  happiness  to  the 
Queen.  There  are  at  Windsor  literally  hundreds  of 
small  sketch-books,  containing  reminiscences  of  her 
journeys  and  sojournings  in  Scotland  and  in  Italy, 
again  not  of  high  artistic  merit,  but  sufficiently  vital 
to  suggest  the  reflection  that  a  young  lady  of  to-day 
is  possibly  no  gainer  by  having  substituted  the  golf- 
club  for  the  pencil. 

The    Queen's  teachers    were  excellent,    common- 


iNTROD.]  BEGINNING   OF   THE   JOURNAL  21 

place  people,  and  tliey  left  precisely  those  traces  on 
her  mind  that  might  have  been  expected.  Her 
character  was  another  matter.  They  could  not  and 
did  not  influence  that,  and  it  is  the  character  of  the 
Queen  that  places  her  in  the  small  category  of  rulers 
who  have  not  only  deserved  well  of  their  country, 
but  have  left  an  indelible  stamp  upon  the  life  of 
their  people. 


Ill 

These  Journals  were  commenced  in  the  year  1832, 
a  year  memorable  in  our  history  for  the  fruition  of 
hopes  deeply  cherished  by  the  political  party  that 
had  arisen,  under  the  auspices  of  Canning,  after  the 
close  of  the  struggle  with  Napoleon. 

During  the  year  when  the  first  Reform  Bill  be- 
came the  law  of  the  land,  the  passions  of  men  had 
been  deej^ly  stirred  throughout  Great  Britain.  The 
political  struggle,  begun  seventeen  years  before,  had 
come  to  a  head.  The  classes  still  paramount  had 
found  themselves  face  to  face  with  the  desires  and 
aspirations  of  classes  hitherto  subordinate  to  have 
a  share  in  the  government  of  the  country.  These 
feelings  had  grown  fiercer  year  by  year,  and,  en- 
couraged by  the  Whig  party  headed  by  Earl  Grey, 
had  found  ultimate  expression  in  the  Reform  Bill  of 
1832,  framed  under  the  aegis  of  that  Minister.  All 
over  Europe  the  stream  of  change  and  reform,  loosed 
by  the  French  Revolution  and  subsequently  checked 
by  the  Congress  of  Vienna,  began  once  more  to  flow. 
During    the    sixteen    years    that    followed    Princess 


22  INTRODUCTION  [inthod. 

Victoria's  first  entry  in  these  Journals,  the  waters 
of  Revolution  had  flooded  Europe.  Thrones  and 
institutions  in  every  European  country  were  shaken, 
many  of  them  to  their  foundations,  and  some  with 
disastrous  results.  Fortunately  for  Great  Britain, 
her  statesmen  had  anticipated  the  events  of  1848, 
and  the  Reform  Bill  had  so  far  satisfied  the  aspira- 
tions of  the  hitherto  unenfranchised  classes  as  to 
render  innocuous  the  frothing  of  agitators  during  that 
tragic  year  of  revolution.  In  aptitude  for  antici- 
pating social  and  political  change  and  avoiding 
violent  manifestations  of  popular  will,  the  English 
race  stands  pre-eminent.  Our  people  as  well  as  our 
statesmen  have  from  the  earliest  times  proved 
themselves  to  be  experts  in  the  art  of  government, 
and  the  history  of  Europe  is  a  commentary  upon 
that  gift  of  the  British  nation. 

There  have,  of  course,  been  moments  when  the 
atmosphere  of  politics  has  been  highly  charged  with 
electricity.  Such  a  moment  occurred  in  1832.  A 
storm  broke  with  unusual  violence  over  the  head  of 
William  IV.  The  House  of  Lords  was  bitterly  hostile 
to  a  Bill,  accepted  by  the  House  of  Commons  and 
supported  with  enthusiasm  by  the  majority  of  his 
subjects.  There  was  no  machinery  existing  under 
the  Constitution  for  adjusting  these  differences  ex- 
cept that  of  creating  a  sufficient  number  of  Peers  to 
ensure  the  passage  of  the  Reform  Bill  through  the 
House  of  Lords.  The  King  therefore  found  himself 
in  the  unpleasant  position  of  having  to  place  his 
prerogative  of  creating  peers  in  the  hands  of  his 
Ministers,  or  else  by  his  own  act  to  dispense  with 


iNTROD-i  REFORM    BILL    CRISIS  23 

their  services.     The  choice  found  him  undecided  and 
left  him  baffled.     He  was  not  acute  enough  to  see 
that  in  the  existing  state  of  pubHc  opinion  he  had 
no  choice.     If  he  had  possessed  wit  to  read  the  signs 
of  the  times,  it  is  doubtful  whether  he  would  have 
had  sufficient  single-minded  courage  to  take  imme- 
diate action  in  accordance  with  the  opinion  he  had 
formed.     Penetrating   vision   the   King   lacked,    and 
responsibility  was  distasteful  to  him.     Consequently 
he  was  not  only  weak,  but  he  showed  weakness.     It 
was  clear  that  the  Government  of  Lord  Grey  held 
unimpaired  the  confidence  of  the  House  of  Commons 
and    possessed    the    full    approval    of    the    country. 
Every  intelligent  observer  realised  that  the  Reform 
Bill,  in  spite  of  its  aristocratic  foes,  in  spite  of  the 
prophets  of  evil,  and  in  spite  of  its  inherent  defects, 
was  bound  to  be  passed  into  law.     King  William, 
however,  conceived  it  to  be  his  duty  to  endeavour 
to  find  an  alternative  Government.     It  was  as  certain 
as  anything  could   be   in   politics,   that   Sir   Robert 
Peel  would  not,   and  that  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
could  not,  come  to  his  assistance.     There  was  some- 
thing pitiful  about  the  spectacle  of  the  old   sailor- 
King  casting  about  for  a  safe  anchorage,  and  finding 
one  cable  parting  after  another.     Security  was  only 
to  be  found  in  the  Ministers  who  had  advised  him, 
in   the   last   resort,   to   use   his  prerogative   for   the 
purpose  of  swamping  a  majority   in  the  House  of 
Lords  that  hesitated  to  bow  to  the  will  of  the  people. 
Ultimately  he  was  constrained  to  accept  their  ad- 
vice, but  it  was  only  after  a  loss  of  personal  dignity 
and   a  distinct  weakening   of  the  authority   of  the 


24  INTRODUCTION  [introd. 

Crown.  The  King,  men  said,  had  touted  about  to 
find  Ministers  to  serve  him,  and  had  failed  to  find 
them.  This  humihation,  at  least,  King  William 
might  have  avoided,  had  he  possessed  a  clearer 
vision  of  possibilities  and  greater  firmness  of  char- 
acter. 

The  political  storms  of  1832  appear  to  have  broken 
noiselessly  against  the  walls  of  Kensington  Palace, 
for  in  the  little  Princess's  Journals  there  is  no  sign 
that  she  was  aware  of  them.  The  King's  worries, 
however,  so  affected  his  temper,  that  it  was  impossible 
for  the  Princess  and  her  mother  not  to  feel  its  reflex 
action.  In  the  Journals  no  mention  is  made  of  the 
domestic  troubles  which  have  been  described  else- 
where, and  we  know,  from  expressions  of  Queen 
Victoria's  in  later  years,  that  she  had  purposely 
refrained,  in  compiling  her  Journals,  from  referring 
to  her  mother's  worries  and  her  own. 

During  the  four  years  that  immediately  preceded 
Princess  Victoria's  accession  to  the  Throne,  from 
1832  to  1836,  these  Journals  give  us  the  picture  of 
a  young  life  passed  amid  the  tranquil  surroundings  of 
Kensington  Palace,  its  educational  monotony  only 
varied  by  attendance  at  the  opera  or  the  theatre, 
by  autumnal  trips  into  the  provinces,  or  by  welcome 
visits  from  foreign  cousins.  These  autumnal  trips 
were  the  "  royal  progresses,"  as  he  called  them, 
against  which  King  William  was  wont  to  protest  in 
vehement  language.  They  evidently  gave  intense 
pleasure  to  the  Princess.  Her  Journals  contain 
records  of  them  all.  Some  examples  have  been 
given,  in  these  extracts,  of  her  method  of  describing 


iNTROD.]  VISITS    AND    OCCUPATIONS  26 

her  visits  to  provincial  cities  and  towns,  to  seaside 
summer  resorts,  and  to  a  few  of  the  great  homes  of 
those  who  were  afterwards  to  be  her  Ministers  or 
subjects. 

It  was  during  this  period  that  she  got  her  first 
glimpse  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,  where  so  much  of  her 
life  was  afterwards  to  be  spent.  The  fact  that  Sir 
John  Conroy,  whom  she  disliked,  lived  for  many 
years  at  Osborne  Lodge  seems  not  to  have  prevented 
her  from  subsequently  becoming  deeply  attached  to 
that  quiet  home  amid  beautiful  surroundings  created 
by  her  and  Prince  Albert  upon  the  site  where  Osborne 
Lodge  had  stood.  Whippingham  Church,  to  be  so 
closely  connected  with  her  and  her  children,  was 
first  visited  in  the  year  1883. 

Enough  has  been  included  in  these  extracts  to 
show  her  liking  for  the  opera  and  for  the  theatre,  her 
pleasure  in  music,  her  devotion  to  the  pursuit  of 
riding,  and  that  love  for  animals  which  charac- 
terised her  through  life. 

When  she  was  sixteen  she  went  to  Ascot  for  the 
first  time,  and  figured  in  the  royal  procession.  It 
began  to  be  recognised  that  the  young  Princess  had 
passed  the  threshold  of  girlhood.  In  that  year  her 
Confirmation  took  place  at  the  Chapel  Royal,  St. 
James's,  and  Archbishop  Howley,  believed  to  be 
the  last  prelate  who  wore  a  wig,  officiated.  During 
the  autumn  she  visited  Yorkshire  and  stayed  with 
Archbishop  Harcourt  at  Bishopthorpe  and  with 
Lord  Fitzwilliam  at  Wentworth.  Coming  south,  she 
was  the  guest  of  the  Duke  of  Rutland  at  Belvoir, 
of  Lord  Exeter  at  Burghley,  and  of  Lord  Leicester 


26  INTRODUCTION  [intood. 

at  Holkham.  In  the  following  year,  1836,  she  met 
for  the  first  time  her  cousin  Prince  Albert  of  Saxe- 
Coburg.  He  and  his  elder  brother  Ernest  visited 
Kensington  Palace  at  the  instance  of  her  uncle 
Leopold.  The  fact  that  Prince  Albert  had  been 
thought  of  years  before  by  the  King  of  the  Belgians 
as  a  possible  husband  for  Princess  Victoria  was 
sufficient  to  set  King  William  IV.  against  the  match. 
The  King,  however,  was  not  uncivil  to  the  brothers 
when  they  visited  London,  but  he  had  ideas  of  his 
own  about  the  future  of  his  niece,  and  he  tried  hard 
to  lav  the  foundations  of  an  alliance  between  the 
young  Princess  and  the  younger  son  of  the  Prince  of 
Orange.  Prince  Albert  on  this  occasion  made  no 
deep  impression  upon  Princess  Victoria's  mind  or 
heart,  but  her  loyalty  to  her  uncle  Leopold  and 
her  regard  for  his  opinion  led  her  to  show  the  grace- 
ful young  Coburg  Prince  marked  preference  over  the 
somewhat  ungainly  candidate  of  King  William.  Her 
heart  was  clearly  untouched,  but  she  was  willing  to 
be  guided  by  the  advice  of  that  counsellor  and  friend 
to  whom  in  preference  to  every  one  she  had  already 
begun  to  turn  for  help  and  guidance.  As  this  became 
obvious  to  King  William,  his  jealousy  and  dislike  for 
the  Duchess  of  Kent  increased ;  and  in  the  autumn 
of  this  year,  1836,  having  invited  his  sister-in-law  to 
a  state  banquet,  he  scandalised  Society  by  delivering 
an  after-dinner  speech  charged  with  recrimxination 
and  insult  to  his  guest. 

This  was  the  Princess's  penultimate  year  as  a 
minor.  King  William  had  for  a  long  time  been 
haunted  with  the  fear  that  he  would  die  before  his 


INTROD.1  EARLY    SOCIAL    LIFE  27 

niece  came  of  age,  and  that  a  regency  would  devolve 
upon  his  hated  sister-in-law.  He  was  spared  what 
he  would  have  considered  this  final  humiliation, 
for  on  May  24,  1837,  the  young  Princess  came 
of  age,  just  a  month  before  the  King  died  at 
Windsor. 

During  the  final  years  of  her  minority  she  was 
thrown  freely  into  the  society  of  many  of  the  eminent 
and  distinguished  persons  soon  to  be  her  subjects. 
The  Duchess  gave  a  series  of  entertainments  at 
Kensington  Palace,  and  the  Princess  was  brought  into 
contact  with  her  mother's  guests.  Accounts  of 
these  dinners  and  concerts,  and  full  lists  of  the 
guests,  are  all  minutely  recorded  in  the  Journals. 
Comments,  however,  beyond  an  occasional  expression 
of  delight  at  the  music  and  admiration  for  its  per- 
formers, are  excluded.  Her  life  was  still  the  life 
of  a  child,  and  her  days  were  mostly  spent  with  her 
preceptors,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Duchess  of 
Northumberland,  her  official  governess,  and  of  the 
Dean  of  Chester,  her  tutor. 

She  had  been  parted  some  years  before  from  her 
half  brother  and  sister  by  the  usual  exigencies  of 
time.  Prince  Charles  of  Leiningen  had  become  a 
sea-officer,  and  Princess  Feodore  was  married.  Into 
the  inner  orbit  of  her  young  life  there  penetrated  only 
Sir  John  Conroy,  whose  person  was  odious  to  her, 
and  Baroness  Lehzen,  the  daughter  of  a  Hanoverian 
clergyman,  who  had  been  the  Princess's  governess 
since  1824,  and  to  whom  she  was  deeply  attached. 
Lablache,  her  singing-master,  a  man  of  some  origi- 
nality and  charm,  was  a  constant  source  of  interest 


28  INTRODUCTION  [introd. 

and  amusement  to  the  young  Princess,  and  she 
preferred  his  lessons  to  all  others. 

It  was  during  these  last  few  years  before  her 
accession  that  the  final  touches  were  given  to  her 
character  by  the  subtle  influences  of  her  environ- 
ment. The  position  occupied  by  Sir  John  Conroy 
in  her  mother's  house  inspired  and  fortified  her 
subsequent  resolve  to  avoid  intimacies  with  members 
of  her  household.  She  became  distant  and  reserved 
to  those  about  her,  and  her  relations  with  her  mother 
were  chilled.  Her  mind  acquired  an  impression  that 
family  ties,  however  binding  from  the  point  of  view 
of  duty,  might  be  superseded  by  those  of  friendship. 
It  is  undoubtedly  the  case  that  Baroness  Lehzen 
occupied  at  this  time  the  first  place  in  her  pupil's 
thoughts  and  affections ;  while  the  dawning  necessity 
felt  by  Princess  Victoria  for  sympathy,  and  for 
those  intimate  communings  so  attractive  to  senti- 
mental natures,  had  a  very  distinct  influence  upon 
the  mind  and  conduct  of  the  Queen  in  subsequent 
years.  Her  Journals  afford  proof,  if  proof  had  been 
wanting,  that,  in  spite  of  the  opinions  of  her  attain- 
ments vouchsafed  by  eminent  clerics,  the  Princess 
had  not  been  afforded  an  education  specially  de- 
signed to  fit  her  for  the  situation  she  was  to  occupy. 

She  was,  at  eighteen,  as  moderately  and  in- 
differently equipped  as  the  average  girl  of  her  age. 
If  her  conversation  was  not  brilliant,  her  heart  was 
kindly  and  her  judgment  sound.  She  was  shrewd 
and  eminently  truthful.  In  spite  of  her  small 
stature,  she  was  curiously  dignified  and  impressive. 
Her  voice  was  musical  and  carried  far.     And  above 


iNTROD.]  PREPARING    FOR    THE    THRONE  29 

all  things,  her  rectitude  was  unassailable,  and  her 
sense  of  duty  so  keen  and  high  that  it  supplied  any 
lack  of  imagination  or  spiritual  deficiency.  She  was 
humble-minded,  but  not,  perhaps,  very  tender.  She 
was  passionate  and  imperious,  but  always  faithful. 
She  was  supremely  conscious  of  the  responsibilities 
and  prerogatives  of  her  calling,  which  she  was  con- 
vinced, then  and  always,  were  her  appanage  by  the 
gift  of  God. 

There  is  nothing  in  her  Journals  or  elsewhere  to 
show  that  before  she  was  eighteen  years  old  she 
had  ever  talked  seriously  and  at  any  length  to  any 
man  or  woman  of  exceptional  gifts.  It  was  only 
when  her  uncle  King  Leopold  heard  of  the  illness  of 
William  IV.  that  Stockmar  was  instructed  to  speak 
with  due  gravity  upon  important  matters  to  the 
young  girl  whose  accession  to  the  Throne  appeared 
imminent.  Her  mind  at  that  time  was  a  blank 
page  in  so  far  as  questions  of  high  politics  or  of 
administration  were  concerned.  In  point  of  fact, 
this  was  a  fortunate  circumstance,  and  rendered 
easier  the  task  of  those  who  were  bound  in  the 
nature  of  things,  and  under  the  constitution  of  these 
islands,  to  use  this  youthful  Princess  as  one  of  the 
chief  instruments  of  government.  Her  mind  was 
free  from  any  political  bias  or  complexion,  and  ready 
to  receive  the  impress  of  her  constitutional  Ministers. 
When,  within  less  than  a  month  of  her  eighteenth 
birthday,  King  William  died,  and  when  on  June  20, 
1837,  the  Queen  found  herself  face  to  face  with 
those  Whig  statesmen  in  whose  hands  the  destinies 
of  the  country  had  been  placed  for  the  time  being, 


30  INTRODUCTION  [introd. 

their  task  was  unhampered  by  preconceived  ideas  or 
by  foregone  prejudice  in  their  pupil.  For  the  Queen 
a  new  chapter  of  hfe  was  opened.  She  at  once  threw 
off  the  trammels  of  pupilage.  Not  only  was  she 
able  immediately  and  without  effort  to  shake  herself 
clear  of  the  domestic  influences  she  had  resented 
and  disliked,  but  for  the  first  time  she  was  enabled 
to  meet  and  to  question  distinguished  men,  with 
whose  names  she  was  familiar,  but  whose  standards 
of  thought  and  conversation  were  far  higher  than 
any  to  which  she  had  been  accustomed. 


IV 

It  was  "  in  a  palace  in  a  garden,  meet  scene  for 
youth  and  innocence,"  as  one  in  later  years  to  be 
her  favoured  Minister  wrote,  that  Princess  Victoria 
received  the  news  of  her  accession  to  a  Throne 
overlooking  "  every  sea  and  nations  in  every  zone." 
The  scene  and  the  circumstances  in  which  her  ac- 
cession was  announced  to  her  by  the  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury  and  Lord  Conynghame  are  described 
by  the  Queen  in  her  Journal.  She  has  also  recorded 
her  impressions  of  what  followed  when  for  the  first 
time  she  met  the  Privy  Council.  What  the  Queen 
has  not  described  is  the  effect  produced  upon  those 
present  by  her  personality,  her  youthful  charm,  her 
self-possession  and  perfect  modesty,  in  such  strong 
contrast  to  everything  which  her  Privy  Councillors 
had  been  accustomed  to  find  in  their  former  Sove- 
reigns.    The  Queen  was  not  aware  of  the   interest 


iNTROD.]  THE    QUEEN'S    PERSONALITY  31 

and  curiosity  she  then  excited  in  the  minds  of  her 
subjects.  She  had  been  brought  up  in  such  com- 
parative seclusion,  that  both  to  "  Society  "  and  to 
the  great  world  outside  her  character  was  an  enigma 
and  even  her  appearance  very  little  known.  Her 
sex  and  youth  rendered  her  personality  exciting  to 
a  public  satiated  with  the  elderly  vagaries  of  her 
uncles.  It  was  noticed  at  her  first  Council  that  her 
manner  was  very  graceful  and  engaging.  It  was 
particularly  observed  that  after  she  had  read  her 
speech  in  a  clear  and  singularly  firm  voice,  when  the 
two  surviving  sons  of  George  III.,  the  Dukes  of 
Cumberland  and  Sussex,  knelt  before  her,  swearing 
allegiance,  she  blushed  up  to  the  eyes  as  if  she  felt 
the  contrast  between  their  public  and  private  re- 
lations, between  their  august  age  and  her  inex- 
perienced youth.  It  was  also  noticed  that  she  spoke 
to  no  one,  and  that  not  the  smallest  difference  in 
her  manner  could  be  detected,  even  by  sharp  watching 
eyes,  between  her  attitude  towards  Lord  Melbourne 
and  the  Ministers  on  tlie  one  hand,  and  towards  the 
Duke  of  Wellington  and  Sir  Robert  Peel  on  the 
other.  The  Queen  does  not  mention,  for  she  was  not 
then  aware  of  it,  that  Lord  Melbourne  was  charmed 
and  Sir  Robert  Peel  amazed  at  her  demeanour. 
They  spoke  afterwards  with  emotion  of  her  modesty, 
firmness,  and  evident  deep  sense  of  her  situation. 
She  did  not  know  then,  although  she  knew  later, 
that  the  Duke  of  Wellington  said  that  had  she  been 
his  own  daughter  he  could  not  have  desired  to  see 
her  perform  her  part  better. 

These  Journals  only  accentuate  what  is  already 


82  INTRODUCTION  [introd. 

known  from  many  sources,  that  the  Queen  showed 
in  difficult  circumstances  not  only  good   taste  and 
good  feeling,  but  admirable  good  sense.     Her  atten- 
tion to  details,   which  some  might  consider  trifles, 
but  which  differentiate  the  careful  from  the  thought- 
less mind,  was  noticed  with  approval  and  surprise 
by    her    Ministers.     She    exhibited    caution    in    her 
treatment  of  those  persons  who  had  been  about  her 
since  childhood,  and  she  made  no  appeal  to  any  of 
them  for  advice  or  guidance.     Nor  did  she  permit 
advice  to  be  proffered.     Sir  John  Conroy  was  dis- 
missed  at   once   from    her    surroundings.     Baroness 
Lehzen  she  retained,   as  before,   about  her  person, 
and  she  speaks  of  her,   throughout  these  Journals, 
with  deep  feeling.     It  was  noticed,  whenever  she  was 
asked  to  decide  some  difficult  matter,  her  customary 
reply  was  that  she  would  think  it  over,  and  give  her 
answer  on  the  morrow.     Onlookers,  knowing  that  she 
relied  on  the   advice  of   Lord   Melbourne,  generally 
assumed  that  she   referred  to  him   in   the   interval. 
He,  however,  declared  that  to  many  of  his  questions 
a  similar  reply  was  given.     In  point  of  fact,  she  was 
obeying  one  of  the  precepts  of  her  uncle,  the  King 
of  the  Belgians. 

It  will  be  obvious  to  the  readers  of  this  book 
that  a  potent  influence  over  the  mind  and  actions 
of  the  young  Queen  was  exercised  by  Lord  Mel- 
bourne. It  was  the  natural  outcome  of  the  business 
relation  between  a  very  charming  and  experienced 
man  of  the  world  who  happened  to  be  her  Prime 
Minister  and  a  very  young  girl  isolated  in  the  sohtary 
atmosphere  of  the  Throne. 


iNTROD.]         LORD    MELBOURNE'S    INFLUENCE  33 

From  the  Queen's  accession  to  the  day  of  her 
marriage  the  table-talk  of  Lord  Melbourne  fills  the 
largest  space  in  her  journals.  Her  description  of 
their  intercourse  confirms  what  we  know  from 
other  sources,  that  Lord  Melbourne  became  absorbed 
by  the  novel  and  striking  duty  that  had  fallen  to 
his  lot.  His  temperament  and  his  antecedents  ren- 
dered him  peculiarly  sensitive  to  the  fascinating 
influences  of  the  strange  relation  in  which  he  stood 
to  this  young  Queen.  Lord  Melbourne's  life  had 
been  chequered  by  curious  experiences,  and  his  mind 
had  been  thoroughly  well  trained,  for  a  man  of  his 
station,  according  to  the  lights  of  those  daj^s.  A 
classical  education,  the  privilege  from  youth  upwards 
of  free  intercourse  with  every  one  worth  knowing, 
the  best  Whig  connection,  and  an  inherited  capacity 
for  governing  men  under  oligarchic  institutions,  had 
equipped  his  intellect  and  judgment  with  everything 
that  was  necessary  to  enable  him  carefully  to  watch 
and  safeguard  the  blossoming  of  the  character  of  the 
girl  who  was  both  his  pupil  and  his  Sovereign. 

He  was  no  longer  young,  but  he  was  not  old. 
His  person  was  attractive.  According  to  Leslie,  no 
mean  judge,  his  head  was  a  truly  noble  one,  and  he 
was  a  fine  specimen  of  manly  beauty  in  the  meridian 
of  life.  Not  only  were  his  features  handsome,  but 
his  expression  was  in  the  highest  degree  intellectual. 
His  laugh  was  frequent  and  the  most  joyous  possible, 
his  voice  so  deep  and  musical  that  to  hear  him  say 
the  most  ordinary  thing  was  a  pleasure  ;  and  his 
frankness,  his  freedom  from  affectation,  and  his 
peculiar  humour  rendered  almost  everything  he  said, 

1—4 


34  INTRODUCTION  [introd. 

however  easy  and  natural,  quite  original.  Chantrey's 
bust  and  the  well-known  portraits  of  Melbourne 
corroborate  the  descriptions  given  by  his  contem- 
poraries. 

The  Queen's  Journals  afford  us  some  illustrations 
of  the  extent  of  his  memory  and  reading.  In  his 
knowledge  of  political  history  he  was  unsurpassed 
by  any  living  Englishman,  and  among  the  statesmen 
of  that  day  there  were  none  by  age,  character,  and 
experience  so  well  qualified  for  the  task  of  making 
the  Queen  acquainted  with  the  art  of  government, 
or  better  able  to  give  her  a  correct  interpretation  of 
the  laws  and  spirit  of  the  constitution.  He  under- 
stood perfectly  the  importance  of  training  her  to 
work  straightforwardly  but  secretly  with  that  small 
committee  of  active  politicians,  representing  the 
parliamentary  majority  of  the  day,  which  goes  by 
the  name  of  the  Cabinet.  Sir  Robert  Peel  and  the 
Duke  of  Wellington,  the  Leaders  of  the  Opposition, 
felt  and  admitted  that  for  her  initiation  into  the 
mysteries  of  Kingcraft,  the  Queen  could  not  have 
been  in  wiser  hands.  It  will  be  obvious  from  these 
Journals  that  the  Queen  drifted  into  political  par- 
tisanship. She  lived  in  dread  of  losing  her  Whig 
Ministers,  and  she  got  "  to  hate  "  the  Tories.  This 
only  meant — and  under  all  the  circumstances  it  was 
natural — ^that  she  ardently  desired  to  retain  her  mentor 
at  her  side.  It  is  to  the  credit  of  Lord  Melbourne  that 
he  was  constantly  discouraging  his  Sovereign's  bias 
towards  the  Whig  Party,  of  which  he  was  the  head, 
and  that  he  never  lost  an  opportunity  of  smoothing 
the  way  for  the  advent  of  Sir  Robert  Peel  which  he 


1NTROD.J       THE  QUEEN    AND    LORD    MELBOURNE  85 

knew  to  be  inevitable.  He  was,  not  inaptly,  called 
a  Regius  Professor  with  no  professorial  disqualifi- 
cations, and  it  was  precisely  from  this  point  of  view 
that  the  Tory  leaders  recognised  the  indispensable 
nature  of  his  task,  and  approved  his  manner  of 
performing  it.  He  was  a  Whig  no  doubt,  says  his 
biographer,  but  at  any  rate  he  was  an  honest-hearted 
Englishman,  and,  in  no  merely  conventional  sense, 
a  gentleman  on  whose  perfect  honour  no  one  hesitated 
to  place  reliance. 

He  treated  the  Queen  with  unbounded  considera- 
tion and  respect,  yet  he  did  not  hesitate  to  administer 
reproof.  He  consulted  her  tastes  and  her  wishes, 
but  he  checked  her  inclination  to  be  headstrong  and 
arbitrary.  He  knew  well  how  to  chide  with  parental 
firmness,  but  he  did  so  with  a  deference  that  could 
not  fail  to  fascinate  any  young  girl  in  a  man  of  his 
age  and  attainments.  The  Queen  was  completely 
under  his  charm.  The  ease  of  his  frank  and  natural 
manners,  his  quaint  epigrams  and  humorous  para- 
dox, his  romantic  bias  and  worldly  shrewdness,  were 
magnified  by  her  into  the  noblest  manly  virtues. 

He  saw  her  every  day,  but  never  appeared  to 
weary  of  her  society.  She  certainly  never  tired  of 
his.  Yet  he  was  fifty-eight  years  old,  a  time-worn 
politician,  and  she  was  a  girl  of  eighteen.  He  was 
her  confidential  servant  and  at  the  same  time  her 
guardian.  She  was  his  ward  and  at  the  same  time 
his  Sovereign.  The  situation  was  full  of  the  possi- 
bilities of  drama,  yet  nothing  can  be  more  delightful 
than  the  high  comedy  revealed  in  the  passages  of 
the  Journals  that  refer    to  Lord  Melbourne.     That 


36  INTRODUCTION  [introd. 

he  should  have  happened  to  be  First  Minister  of  the 
Crown  when  King  WilHam  died  was  a  rare  piece  of 
good  fortune  for  the  new  Sovereign  and  for  the 
country.  With  all  the  immense  powers  of  head  and 
heart  which  the  Queen  came  later  to  discover  in 
Sir  Robert  Peel,  we  may  take  leave  to  doubt  if  he 
could  so  lightly  and  so  wisely  have  assumed  and 
fulfilled  the  duties  imposed  upon  his  predecessor. 

It  is  impossible  to  exaggerate  the  effect  produced 
upon  the  mind  and  character  of  the  Queen  by  the 
apostolic  letters  of  her  uncle.  Even  the  sound  con- 
stitutional dogma  of  Stockmar  might  have  failed  to 
influence  one  naturally  inclined  to  be  autocratic. 
Those,  however,  who  were  to  reap  the  profit  in  later 
years  of  the  shrewd  daily  culture  of  the  Queen's 
mind,  of  the  skilful  pruning  away  of  ideas  dangerous 
in  a  British  Sovereign,  of  the  respectful  explanation 
of  her  duties,  of  the  humorous  rallying  upon  slight 
weaknesses  which  might  have  developed  into  awk- 
ward habits,  were  deeply  indebted,  as  these  Journals 
show,  to  the  sagacity  of  Lord  Melbourne. 


Two  Queens  Regnant,  Queen  Mary  and  Queen 
Anne,  both  of  Stewart  blood,  lived  much  at  Kensing- 
ton Palace,  and  both  died  there.  As  a  place  of 
residence  it  had  no  attractions  for  the  Sovereigns  of 
the  House  of  Hanover.  Queen  Victoria  was  fond 
of  the  old  wing  in  which  her  youth  had  been  spent, 
and  which  was  subsequently  occupied  for  many  years 


INTROD.1  KENSINGTON    PALACE  87 

by  the  Duchess  of  Teck  and  her  children.  Built  on 
piles,  those  portions  of  the  Palace  that  were  unin- 
habited, and  therefore  indifferently  looked  after, 
had  towards  the  end  of  the  Queen's  reign  fallen  into 
such  disrepair  that  their  demolition  had  been  decided 
by  the  Treasury.  The  Queen  disliked  intensely  the 
idea  of  removing  any  part  of  the  old  building.  Ulti- 
mately a  bargain  was  made  with  the  Chancellor  of 
the  Exchequer  of  the  day.  It  involved  a  certain 
exchange  of  houses  in  the  gift  of  the  Crown  and 
some  shifting  of  financial  responsibility.  Kensing- 
ton Palace  was  saved,  and  a  considerable  sum  was 
voted  by  Parliament  for  its  restoration,  on  condition 
that  the  public  should  be  admitted  to  certain  rooms 
of  historic  interest. 

King  George's  dream,  and  no  one  knows  better 
its  visionary  character,  is  to  pull  down  Buckingham 
Palace,  to  round  off  St.  James's  and  the  Green  Parks 
at  Constitution  Hill  and  Buckingham  Gate,  and  then, 
with  the  money  obtained  by  the  sale  of  the  Gardens 
of  Buckingham  Palace,  to  reconstruct  Kensington 
Palace  as  the  town  residence  of  the  Sovereign. 

For  Queen  Mary  the  place  is  full  of  memories 
and,  because  of  her  keen  historic  sense,  full  of 
interest. 

Compared  with  most  of  the  great  European 
capitals,  London  is  poor  in  palaces.  The  homes  of 
the  Tudor  Sovereigns  in  and  near  the  metropolis, 
Nonsuch,  Greenwich,  and  Wiitehall,  have  disappeared. 
London  contains  no  single  palace  residentially  asso- 
ciated with  our  long  line  of  Sovereigns.  The  Court 
of  St.  James  was  housed,  in  the  eighteenth  century, 


38  INTRODUCTION  [introd. 

in  the  Palace  of  that  name.  It  seems  to  have  been 
adequate  for  the  needs  of  the  Hanoverian  Princes, 
who  had  none  of  the  amphtude  of  the  Tudors  or  the 
fine  taste  of  the  Stewarts. 

The  memories  of  Windsor,  however,  are  long 
memories.  Although  Queen  Victoria  never  liked 
Windsor,  perhaps  because  she  was  never  in  good 
health  there,  it  is  with  Windsor  Castle  that  the 
principal  events  of  her  reign  are  associated.  The 
thoughts  of  the  few,  the  very  few,  comparatively 
speaking,  of  her  subjects  who  were  admitted  to  the 
seclusion  of  Court  life  during  two-thirds  of  the  Queen's 
reign  may  carry  them  back  to  quiet  days  at  Bal- 
moral or  Osborne,  but  it  was  round  Windsor  that 
the  political  interest  of  the  Victorian  era  centred. 
There  the  links  of  the  chain  have  remained  un- 
severed  between  the  Sovereigns  of  Great  Britain 
to-day  and  their  Plantagenet  ancestors. 

If  the  Queen's  attachment  to  Windsor  was  not 
deep,  she  was  more  indifferent  still  to  Buckingham 
Palace.     There  is  not  a  word  in  her  Diaries  or  corre- 
spondence to  show  that  she  in  any  way  looked  upon 
it   as   a  home   or   even   a   residence   in   any   degree 
interesting   or   attractive.     No   attempt   was   made, 
after  the  death  of  the  Prince  Consort,  to  improve  or 
beautify   it.     The    magnificent    objects   of    art   and 
the   splendid  collection  of  pictures  were  badly   dis- 
played  and  quite   unappreciated.     Few,  outside  the 
circle  of  the  Court,  knew  of  their  existence.     The 
Palace   was   judged   by    its    mean   fa9ade,    and    the 
nation  was  rather  shamefaced  about  the  home  of  its 
Sovereign,  and  certainly  took  no  credit  for  the  really 


iNTROD.]  BUCKINGHAM    PALACE  39 

noble  rooms  and  their  contents  which  Buckingham 
Palace  contains. 

Yet,  through  the  picture-gallery  of  this  Palace 
hung  with  masterpieces  of  the  Dutch  School,  through 
the  throne-room  and  the  drawing-room  resplendent 
with  the  royal  portraits  of  Reynolds  and  Gains- 
borough, or  through  the  matchless  corridor  at  Windsor, 
have  passed  nearly  all  the  great  figures  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  practically  the  whole  of  which  was 
spanned  by  the  life  of  the  Queen. 

It  is  an  imposing  array,  worthy  of  its  setting. 
Heroes  and  statesmen,  men  of  science  and  letters, 
artists  and  scholars,  all  moved,  with  a  feeling  of  awe, 
into  the  presence  of  the  Queen  whose  girlhood  is 
recounted  by  herself  in  these  pages. 

To  those  accustomed  to  the  easier  manners  of 
more  recent  times  it  is  difficult  to  convey  a  sense 
of  the  atmosphere  of  Windsor  during  the  reign  of 
the  Queen.  Her  extraordinary  aloofness  was  its 
determining  cause,  but  the  effect  was  that  of  a 
shrine.  Grave  men  walked  softly  through  the  rooms 
of  the  Castle,  and  no  voice  was  ever  raised.  The 
presence  of  the  Sovereign  brooded,  so  to  speak, 
over  the  Palace  and  its  environment.  The  desire 
to  be  negligently  at  ease  never  entered  the  mind. 
The  air  was  rarefied  by  a  feeling  that  somewhere,  in 
a  region  unvisited  by  any  but  the  most  highly  privi- 
leged, was  seated,  not  in  an  ordinary  arm-chair, 
but  on  a  throne,  the  awe-inspiring  and  ever-dignified 
figure  of  the  Sovereign.  The  proud  intellect  of 
Gladstone  and  the  rugged  self-sufficiency  of  Bright 
bent  before  the  small,  homely  figure  in  widow's  weeds. 


40  INTRODUCTION  [introix 

In  spite  of  this  homeliness  of  appearance,  notwith- 
standing her  love  of  simplicity  and  her  dislike  of 
tawdriness  and  displaj^  her  spirit  never  put  aside  the 
regal  habit.  How  rarely  the  Queen  extended  her 
hand  !  It  was  a  great  privilege,  and  only  on  special 
occasions  vouchsafed  to  her  Ministers.  Men  and 
women  bent  verv  low  to  kiss  that  hand.  This  was 
not  due  to  her  small  stature,  but  to  the  curious,  inde- 
finable awe  that  she  undoubtedly  inspired  during 
the  later  portion  of  her  life  in  all  who  approached 
her.  Will  the  reader  find,  in  these  records  of  her 
girlhood,  intimations  of  that  moral  ascendency  she 
afterwards  acquired  over  her  subjects  ? 

It  was  unquestionably  a  triumph  of  character. 
Even  now  to  attempt  a  serious  estimate  of  the  in- 
tellectual capacity  of  Queen  Victoria  is  a  difficult 
task.  There  are  too  many  still  among  us  the 
greater  part  of  whose  lives  were  spent  under  her 
sway.  It  is  a  fault  in  nearly  all  recent  biographies 
that  they  attempt  appreciations  which  only  the 
lapse  of  time  can  enable  a  writer  to  draw  in  true 
perspective. 

A  venerable  Sovereign,  in  full  possession  of  his 
great  powers  of  intellect  and  character,  who  was 
almost  an  exact  contemporary,  still  rules  a  European 
people  as  proud  of  him  as  were  her  subjects  of  the 
Queen.  At  least  one  of  her  faithful  servants,  who  was 
present  at  her  Coronation  seventy-four  years  ago  and 
at  every  great  ceremonial  throughout  her  reign,  is  still 
alive  and  full  of  manly  vigour.  Her  children  are 
in  the  prime  of  life,  and  her  favourite  grandson  is 
the  beloved  Sovereign  of  the  people  she  governed. 


iNTROD.]         THE    QUEEN'S    CORRESPONDENCE  41 

Unqualified  praise  is  always  distasteful,  and  critical 
analysis  may  easily  prove  to  be  in  singularly  bad 
taste.  Queen  Victoria's  womanly  and  royal  virtues 
are  written  in  golden  letters  upon  the  face  of  the 
vast  Empire  over  which  she  reigned.  Her  faults 
may  well  lie  buried,  for  some  time  yet,  in  her  grave 
under  the  shadow  of  Windsor. 

In  the  muniment-room  of  the  Castle  are  preserved 
the  private  records  of  her  life-work.  Over  a  thou- 
sand bound  volumes  of  letters,  from  and  to  the 
Queen  upon  all  subjects,  public  and  domestic,  are 
there  ;  and  over  a  hundred  volumes  of  her  Journals 
written  in  her  own  hand. 

It  is  a  unique  record.  The  private  papers  of 
George  III.  have  disappeared.  Of  those  of  George  IV. 
and  Wilham  IV.,  only  a  few  are  in  existence.  Selec- 
tions from  the  correspondence  of  the  Queen  up  to 
1861  were  published  by  permission  of  King  Edward. 
These  selections  from  her  early  Journals  have  been 
made  by  the  gracious  leave  of  King  George.  It  may 
be  many  years  before  it  would  be  wise  or  prudent 
to  make  public  any  more  of  the  private  history  of 
Queen  Victoria's  reign.  Those  who,  by  good  for- 
tune, have  had  access  to  these  records  can,  however, 
safely  predict  that  whatever  hereafter  leaps  to  light, 
the  Queen  never  can  be  shamed. 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE  TO  CHAPTER  I 

When  the  Queen's  Journal  opens  she  was  thirteen  years  and  two 
months  old.  When  she  was  four  years  younger  Sir  Walter  Scott 
was  presented  to  the  little  Princess  Victoria  and  noted  that  she 
was  "  educating  with  much  care."  At  that  time  she  was  supposed 
not  to  know  that  she  was  the  "  heir  of  England,"  but  Scott 
thought  that  if  the  little  heart  could  be  dissected  it  would  be 
found  that  some  little  bird  had  carried  the  matter.  According 
to  Baroness  Lehzen,  the  truth  was  not  revealed  until  a  year 
before  the  Princess  commenced  to  write  her  first  Journal.  There 
was  a  picture  painted  of  her  about  this  time,  and  it  corroborates 
Lord  Albemarle's  description  of  the  little  girl  of  extreme  fairness 
whom  he  watched  watering,  at  Kensington,  a  child's  garden, 
wearing  a  large  straw  hat  and  a  suit  of  white  cotton,  her  only 
ornament  being  a  coloured  fichu  round  the  neck. 

The  Princess  was  guarded  with  extreme  care.  Leigh  Hunt 
noticed  that  she  was  invariably  followed,  when  walking,  by  a 
footman  in  gorgeous  raiment.  She  told  her  daughters  many 
years  later  that  she  was  so  carefully  tended  until  the  day  of  her 
accession,  that  she  had  never  been  permitted  to  walk  downstairs 
without  someone  holding  her  hand. 

The  Princess's  journey  commenced  August  1,  1832,  although 
the  first  part  of  what  her  Uncle,  King  William,  called  her  Royal 
Progresses  was  not  her  first  trip  into  the  country.  With  her 
mother  she  paid  several  visits  to  Ramsgate  and  Broadstairs. 
She  had  stayed  with  Lord  Winchelsea  at  Eastwell,  near  Ashford, 
and  she  had  visited  George  IV.  at  the  Royal  Lodge  in  Windsor 
Park.  She  had  spent  an  autumn  at  Norris  Castle,  Isle  of  Wight, 
and  had  been  to  Bath  and  Malvern. 

Sir  Walter  Scott  expressed  a  hope  that  she  would  not  retain 
the  name  of  Victoria,  and  when  upon  the  accession  of  William  IV. 
extra  provision  was  demanded  of  Parliament  for  the  little  Princess 
Alexandrina  Victoria  of  Kent,  who  then  became  heir-presumptive 
to  the  Crown,  Sir  Matthew  White  Ridley  and  Sir  Robert  Inglis 
desired  to  make  the  Parliamentary  grant  contingent  upon  the 
Princess,  as  Queen,  assuming  the  style  of  Elizabeth  II.,  on  the 
ground  that  the  name  Victoria  did  not  accord  with  the  feelings 
of  the  people.  The  name  Victoria,  however,  was  destined  to 
acquire  lustre  not  inferior  to  that  of  Elizabeth. 

The  Princess's  first  Progress  is  minutely  described  in  the 
first  volume  of  her  Journal.  Before  it  ended,  Robert  Lowe,  after- 
wards her  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  caught  a  glimpse  of  the 
child  as  she  passed  from  the  Bodleian  to  lunch  with  the  Vice- 
Chancellor  at  Oxford.     Her  foot  was  on  the  threshold  of  public  life. 

42 


CHAPTER    I 

1832 

Wednesday,  August  1st.  We  left  K.P.^  at  6 
minutes  past  7  and  went  through  the  Lower-field 
gate  to  the  right.  We  went  on,  &  turned  to  the 
left  by  the  new  road  to  Regent's  Park.  The  road 
&  scenery  is  beautiful.  20  minutes  to  9.  We  have 
just  changed  horses  at  Barnet,  a  very  pretty  little 
town.  5  minutes  past  J  past  9.  We  have  just 
changed  horses  at  St.  Albans.  The  situation  is  very 
pretty  &  there  is  a  beautiful  old  abbey  there.  5 
minutes  past  10.  The  country  is  beautiful  here  : 
they  have  began  to  cut  the  corn ;  it  is  so  golden 
&  fine  that  I  think  they  will  have  a  very  good  harvest, 
at  least  here.  There  are  also  pretty  hills  &  trees. 
20  minutes  past  ten.  We  have  just  passed  a  most 
beautiful  old  house  in  a  fine  park  with  splendid 
trees.  A  J  to  11.  We  have  just  changed  horses  at 
Dunstable  ;  there  was  a  fair  there  ;  the  booths  filled 
with  fruit,  ribbons,  &c.  looked  very  pretty.  The 
town  seems  old  &  there  is  a  fine  abbey  before  it. 
The  country  is  very  bleak  &  chalky.  12  minutes 
to  12.  We  have  just  changed  horses  at  Brickhill. 
The  country  is  very  beautiful  about  here.  19  minutes 
to  1.  We  have  just  changed  horses  at  Stony  Strat- 
ford. The  country  is  very  pretty.  About  J  past 
1  o'clock  we  arrived  at  Towcester  &  lunched  there, 

^  Kensington  Palace. 
43 


44  DAVENTRY    TO    BIRMINGHAM  [jet.  13 

At  14  minutes  past  two  we  left  it.  A  J  past  3.  We 
have  just  changed  horses  at  Daventiy.  The  road 
continues  to  be  very  dusty.  1  minute  past  f  past  3. 
We  have  just^  passed  through  Braunston  where 
there  is  a  curious  spire.  The  Oxford  canal  is  close 
to  the  town.  1  minute  to  4.  We  have  just  changed 
horses  at  Dunchurch  &  it  is  raining. 

For  some  time  past  already,  and  now,  our  road  is 
entirely  up  an  avenue  of  trees  going  on  and  on,  it  is 
quite  delightful  but  it  still  rains.  Just  now  we  go 
at  a  tremendous  rate.  4  minutes  to  5.  We  have 
just  changed  horses  at  Coventry,  a  large  town  where 
there  is  a  very  old  church  (in  appearance  at  least). 
At  J  past  5  we  arrived  at  Meridon  ;  and  we  are  now 
going  to  dress  for  dinner.  J  past  8.  I  am  undressing 
to  go  to  bed.  Mamma  is  not  well  and  is  lying  on  the 
sofa  in  the  next  room.  I  was  asleep  in  a  minute  in 
my  own  little  bed  which  travels  always  with  me. 

Thursday,  2d  August. — I  got  up  after  a  very  good 
night  at  5  o'clock  this  morning.  Mamma  is  much 
better  I  am  happy  to  say,  and  I  am  now  dressing  to 
go  to  breakfast.  6  minutes  to  |  past  7.  We  have 
just  left  Meridon,  a  very  clean  inn.  It  is  a  very 
bad  day.  10  minutes  to  9.  We  have  just  changed 
horses  at  Birmingham  where  I  was  two  years  ago 
and  we  visited  the  manufactories  which  are  very 
curious.  It  rains  very  hard.  We  just  passed 
through  a  town  where  all  coal  mines  are  and  you 
see  the  fire  glimmer  at  a  distance  in  the  engines  in 
many  places.  The  men,  women,  children,  country 
and  houses  are  all  black.  But  I  can  not  by  any 
description  give  an  idea  of  its  strange  and  extra- 
ordinary appearance.  The  country  is  very  desolate 
every  where  ;    there   are   coals  about,  and  the  grass 

*  The  Journal  was  written  in  pencil  and  inked  over  afterwards. 


1832]  POWIS    CASTLE  45 

is  quite  blasted  and  black.  I  just  now  see  an  ex- 
traordinary building  flaming  with  fire.  The  country 
continues  black,  engines  flaming,  coals,  in  abun- 
dance, every  where,  smoking  and  burning  coal  heaps, 
intermingled  with  wretched  huts  and  carts  and  little 
ragged  children.  .  .  . 

I  received  from  the  mayor  an  oaken  box  with  a 
silver  top  and  filled  with  the  famous  Shrewsbury 
cakes.  We  lunched  there.  We  left  it  at  a  J  to  3. 
As  we  passed  along  the  streets  a  poor  unhappy  hen, 
frightened  by  the  noise  flew  on  the  carriage  but  she 
was  taken  off.  We  had  our  horses  watered  half 
way.  When  we  arrived  at  the  outskirts  of  Welshpool 
we  were  met  by  a  troop  of  Yeomanry  who  escorted 
us  for  a  long  time  and  the  little  town  was  ornamented 
with  arches,  flowers,  branches,  flags,  ribbons,  &c., 
&c.  The  guns  fired  as  we  came  up  the  park  and 
the  band  played  before  Powis  Castle  ;  Lord  Powis  ^ 
and  Mr.  Clive  met  us  at  the  door  of  his  beautiful  old 
Castle  and  Lady  Lucy  and  Lady  Harriet  Clive  were 
in  the  gallery.  The  Castle  is  very  old  and  beautiful ; 
the  little  old  windows  jutting  in  and  out  and  a  fine 
gallery  with  a  dry-rubbed  floor  and  some  beautiful 
busts.     I  am  now  dressing  for  dinner.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  9th  August. — I  awoke  at  J  past  6 
and  got  up  at  7.  I  am  now  dressing.  A  little  after 
8  I  went  out  in  the  garden,  and  at  about  J  to  9  we 
took  breakfast.  I  began  to  write  a  letter  after 
breakfast,  and  then  dressed.     At  J  past  10  Mamma 

1  Edward,  first  Earl  of  Powis  (1754-1839),  was  the  eldest  son  of  the 
great  Lord  Clive  ;  his  eldest  son,  afterwards  second  Earl,  married 
Lucy,  daughter  of  the  third  Duke  of  Montrose  ;  his  second  son,  Robert 
Clive,  M.P.,  married  Harriet,  younger  daughter  of  the  fifth  Earl  of 
Plymouth  :  these  are  the  ladies  referred  to  in  the  text.  The  barony  of 
Windsor,  which  had  fallen  into  abeyance,  was  afterwards  terminated 
in  favour  of  Lady  Harriet  Clive. 


46  VISIT   TO    CARNARVON  [*t.13 

received  an  address  from  the  Mayor  and  Corpora- 
tion of  Beaumaris,  and  another  from  the  gentlemen 
inhabitants,  and  visitors  of  the  town.  At  J  past 
11  we  got  into  our  carriages  with  my  Cousins  on 
the  box  of  ours.  In  passing  the  Menai-bridge,  we 
received  a  salute,  and  on  entering  the  town  of  Car- 
narvon, we  were  met,  not  only  by  an  immense  crowd, 
who  were  extremely  kind,  and  pleased,  but  by  the 
Corporation  also,  who  walked  before  the  carriage, 
while  a  salute  was  firing.  We  then  arrived  at  the 
inn,  where  Mamma  received  an  address.  The 
address  being  over  we  took  luncheon,  and  after 
that  was  over,  we  went  to  see  the  ruins  of  the  Castle, 
which  are  beautiful,  while  a  salute  was  fired,  from 
the  rampart.  We  then  got  into  the  Emerald,  where 
we  were  several  times  saluted,  at  the  last  being  nearly 
becalmed,  we  were  towed  by  a  steam  packet,  called 
Paul  Pry,  which  saluted  us  4  times  in  the  day.  We 
arrived  at  home  at  J  to  7,  and  dined  at  ^  past  7. 
We  drank  Uncle  Leopold's  health  in  honour  of  his 
marriage  that  day.  I  stayed  up  till  J  past  9.  I 
went  to  bed  soon  after,  and  was  soon  asleep.  .  .  . 
Wednesday,  29th  August. — I  awoke  at  J-  past  6 
and  got  up  at  7.  It  is  now  6  minutes  past  8  &  I 
am  quite  ready  dressed.  I  then  played.  We  break- 
fasted at  ^  past  8  but  without  Lady  Catherine  * 
who  is  very  unwell.  I  then  did  my  lessons  &  then 
played.  At  J  past  12  I  went  out  walking.  We 
lunched  at  1.  At  J  past  3  went  to  Baron  Hill 
Sir  R.   Bulkeley's  *   place.      We  arrived  there  at  a 

^  Lady  Catherine  Jenkinson,  elder  daughter  of  the  third  Earl  of 
Liverpool,  was  married  later  to  Colonel  Francis  Vernon  Harcourt, 
Bon  of  the  Archbishop  of  York  and  Equerry  to  the  Duchess  of  Kent. 

2  Sir  Richard  Bulkeley,  tenth  Baronet,  M.P.  for  Anglesey,  after- 
wards Lord  Lieutenant  of  Carnarvonshire.  He  had  just  married  Maria 
Frances,  daughter  of  Sir  Thomas  Stanley-Massy-Stanley. 


1832]  AT    BARON    HILL  47 

little  after  4.  We  were  received  at  the  door  by 
Sir  Richard  &  farther  on  by  Lady  Bulkeley  whose 
dress  I  shall  describe.  It  was  a  white  satin  trimmed 
with  blonde,  short  sleeves  &  a  necklace,  ear-rings  and 
sevigne  of  perridos  &  diamonds  with  a  wreath  of 
orange-flowers  in  her  hair.  We  then  went  upon 
the  terrace  &  the  band  of  the  Anglesea  Militia  played 
"  God  save  the  King."  We  then  presented  all  the 
bards  &  poets  with  medals.  We  then  [went] 
into  the  drawing-room  and  remained  there  till 
dinner.  In  the  drawing-room  there  were  a  great 
many  other  people.  At  5  we  went  to  dinner,  which 
was  in  a  temporary  building  which  was  lined  in 
the  inside  with  pink  and  white  linen.  The  dinner 
was  splendidly  served  &  the  china  was  rich  and 
beautiful.  The  fruit  was  magnificent.  After  dessert 
was  over  Sir  Richard  made  a  speech  and  brought 
out  a  toast  in  honor  of  Mamma  &  me.  We  then 
left  the  room  &  went  into  the  drawing-room.  We 
went  upstairs  into  Lady  Bulkeley's  pretty  little 
dressing-room.  Her  toilet  table  was  pink  with  white 
muslin  over  it  trimmed  with  beautiful  lace  &  her 
things  on  the  toilet  table  were  gold.  We  then  went 
downstairs  and  took  coffee  and  the  famous  dog  of 
Lady  Williams,^  Cabriolle,  played  tricks.  At  about 
7  we  left  Baron  Hill  &  proceeded  homewards. 
Poor  Lady  Catherine  who  was  not  able  to  go  was 
in  the  evening  much  better.  We  arrived  at  home 
at  about  a  J  past  8.  I  then  went  downstairs  & 
stayed  up  till  near  9.  I  was  soon  in  bed  and 
asleep.  .  .  . 

Monday,  17th  September. — I  awoke   at   about   8, 
&  got  up  at  near  J  past  8.     We  breakfasted  at  9 

^  Lady   Williams,   wife   of   Sir    John   Williams   of    Bodelwyddaji, 
first  Baronet. 


48  AT    PLAS    NEWYDD  [^etis 

downstairs.  I  then  played  and  did  other  things. 
At  1  we  lunched.  I  then  played  on  the  piano,  &  at 
a  little  before  3  played  at  billiards  downstairs,  with 
Victoire,^  &  then  went  out  walking.  When  I  came 
home  I  first  worked  &  then  we  blew  soap-bubbles. 

Sunday ,  IHh  October. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up 
at  J  past  7.  At  |  past  8  we  breakfasted.  I  then 
wrote  my  Journal  and  some  music  and  at  11  we 
went  to  chapel  for  the  last  time  and  the  sailors 
likewise  for  the  last  time.  The  service  was  per- 
formed as  usual  by  Mr.  W.  Jones.  It  was  over 
at  J  past  12.  I  then  walked  out  with  Lehzen  ^  and 
Victoire.  At  1  we  lunched.  At  3  we  went  out 
riding,  and  as  we  passed  through  the  Park  gate 
the  old  woman  at  the  lodge  came  out  as  usual,  to 
open  the  gate  and  she  thanked  Mamma  for  what 
she  had  given  her.  We  galloped  over  a  green  field 
which  we  had  already  done  several  times.  Rosa 
went  an  enormous  rate ;  she  literally  flew.  We 
then  went  on  towards  the  Menai  bridge  but  turned 
back  under  the  hill.  We  cantered  a  great  deal 
and  Rosa  went  the  whole  time  beautifully.  It  was 
a  delightful  ride.  Wlien  we  came  home  Mamma  got 
on  Rosa  and  I  got  on  Thomas  and  cantered  him. 
We  came  in  at  J  past  4.  Alas  !  it  was  our  last  ride 
at  dear  Plas  Newydd.  I  then  walked  on  the  terrace 
for  a  short  time.  At  7  we  dined  and  I  stayed  up 
till  J  past  8.     I  was  soon  in  bed  and  asleep. 

Monday,  I5th  October. — I  awoke  at  J  past  5  and 
got  up  at  6.     At  7  we  breakfasted  with  all  the  family  ; 

1  Daughter  of  Sir  John  Conroy,  Comptroller  to  the  Duchess  of  Kent. 

2  Louise  Lehzen  became  Governess  to  Princess  Victoria  in  1824. 
In  1827  George  IV.  created  her  a  Hanoverian  Baroness.  When  in  1830 
the  Duchess  of  Northumberland  was  made  the  Princess'  Governess,  her 
"faithful  Lehzen"  remained  on  as  Lady  in  Waiting.  She  stayed  at 
Court  till  1842,  when  she  returned  to  Germany. 


j 


-f 


/ 


/' 


/^      ri-e  -ue-cA^ —   Ji^'f^ 


VICTOIRE   CONROY. 

From  a  sketch  by  Princess  Victoria. 


1832]  ARRIVAL    AT    EATON  49 

and  a  most  beautiful  falcon  which  Sir  John  Williams  ^ 
sent  me  was  brought  in  that  I  might  see  it.  The 
sailors  were  so  busy  and  so  useful  for  I  saw  Kew 
and  Sparks  going  to  and  fro.  At  a  J  to  8  we  got 
into  our  carriages  and  drove  out  amidst  the  shouts 
of  the  sailors  of  the  Emerald,  who  were  standing 
on  the  rigging  two  by  two  on  the  rope-ladders,  till 
the  last  man  was  at  the  very  top  of  all.  I  looked 
out  of  the  carriage  window  that  I  might  get  a  last 
look  of  the  dear  Emerald  and  her  excellent  crew.  As 
we  passed  along  the  road  we  saw  Mr.  Griffith  and 
Mr.  W.  Jones  and  his  family.  .  .  . 

10  minutes  to  4. — We  have  just  passed  through 
Northop.  At  about  \  past  4  we  went  through  the 
Park  of  Mr.  Granville  up  to  his  castle.  Lord 
Grosvenor  met  us  there  at  the  head  of  his  Cavalry. 
And  Lord  Westminster  ^  sent  his  own  fine  horses, 
which  were  put  to  our  carriage.  At  about  \  past 
5  we  arrived  at  Eaton  Hall.  We  were  received  at 
the  door  by  Lord  and  Lady  Westminster,  Lady 
Grosvenor  and  Lady  Wilton.  The  house  is  magni- 
ficent. You  drive  up  to  the  door  under  a  lofty 
vaulted  portico  with  a  flight  of  steps  under  it,  and 
it  takes  you  to  the  hall,  which  is  beautiful.  The 
floor  is  inlaid  with  various  marbles,  and  arches 
spring  from  the  sides.  Then  you  enter  a  beautiful 
drawing-room ;     the   ceiling   joins   in   a   round   gilt, 

^  Sir  John  Williams,  afterwards  Sir  John  Williams -Hay,  second 
Baronet,  of  Bodelwyddan. 

2  Robert,  Earl  Grosvenor  (1767-1845),  had  in  1831  been  created 
Marquess  of  Westminster  ;  he  had  married  Eleanor,  only  daughter  of 
Thomas,  first  Earl  of  Wilton.  Richard,  Lord  Grosvenor,  their  eldest 
son,  married  Elizabeth  Mary,  daughter  of  the  first  Duke  of  Sutherland  ; 
Thomas,  the  second  son,  inherited,  under  a  special  remainder,  his  grand- 
father's Earldom  of  Wilton,  and  married  Mary  Margaret,  daughter  of 
Edward,  twelfth  Earl  of  Derby. 

1—5 


50  THE    GROSVENOR   FAMILY  f^x.is 

with  great  taste  and  richness,  while  the  sides  arch 
towards  the  top.  An  organ  on  the  right  as  you 
enter  the  room  and  a  large  fireplace  on  the  left  with 
stained  glass  windows.  Then  Lady  Westminster 
after  we  had  been  downstairs  a  little,  showed  us 
our  apartments,  which  are  indeed  beautiful.  I 
was  in  bed  at  J  past  8. 

Tuesday,  16th  October. — I  awoke  at  6  and  got  up 
at  7.  I  then  dressed  and  took  some  tea.  At  J  past 
9  we  breakfasted.  The  breakfast-room  is  magni- 
ficent. There  are  4  fireplaces  ;  and  the  windows 
are  of  stained  glass  very  beautifully  done.  A  massive 
lustre  of  gold  with  an  eagle  likewise  in  gold  hangs 
from  the  ceiling  in  the  middle  of  the  room.  Pillars 
arching  to  the  top  and  gilt  in  parts  rise  from  the 
sides.  Several  tables  of  oak  and  elm  stand  in  the 
windows,  and  the  breakfast  was  served  in  hand- 
some silver  tea  and  coffee  pots  ;  a  crown  of  gold 
with  precious  stones  contained  the  bread.  Besides 
Lady  Grosvenor  and  Lady  Wilton,  there  were 
also  Lady  Egerton,^  Mrs.  Lane  and  Miss  Bagot. 
After  breakfast  Lady  Grosvenor  brought  her  4 
children.  We  then  went  into  our  own  rooms  and 
I  wrote  my  journal.  At  12  Mamma  went  into  the 
great  saloon  where  all  the  ladies  were  and  an  address 
from  the  mayor  and  corporation  of  Chester  arrived 
and  then  another  from  the  gentlemen  and  inhabitants 
of  Chester,  presented  by  Lord  Robert.*  After  this 
we  looked  about  the  room  which  is  indeed  beautiful. 
The  ceiling  is  done  in  the  same  splendid  manner 
and  a  magnificent  lustre  of  gold  and  glass  with  a 

^  Wife  of  Sir  Philip  Grey  Egerton,  and  daughter  of  George  John 
Legh,  of  High  Legh,  Cheshire. 

2  Robert,  third  son  of  Lord  Westminster,  at  this  time  M.P.  for 
Chester  and  afterwards  for  Middlesex,  was  created  in  1857  Lord  Ebury. 


1832]  VISIT    TO    EATON  51 

coronet  of  velvet  and  pearls  hung  from  the  ceiling 
in  the  room.     Two  windows  of  stained  glass,  very 
handsomely  done,  are  on  different  sides.     A  superb 
chimney-place    with    beautiful    furniture    and    rich 
carpets,    complete   the   room.     4   beautiful   pictures 
painted  by  different  artists  are  likewise  in  the  room. 
We  then  walked   out  with  most  of  the  people  ;    I 
walking    in   front    with   the   eldest   and    third   little 
girl,  the  second  not  being  well.     We  walked  about 
the  garden  and  looked  at  an  aloe  which  flowers  only 
once  in  100  years.      We  came  in  at  |  past  1,  and 
lunched   at  2.     At  |-  past  2   we  went  out  driving  ; 
Lady    Westminster    and    little    Elinor,^   the    eldest 
child,    were    in    our    carriage  ;     she    is    a    delightful 
child.     Lady    Catherine    and    Lehzen    followed    in 
another  carriage.     We  drove  about  the  park  which 
is   beautiful.     When   we  came   home  we   walked   in 
the  kitchen  gardens  which  are  indeed  very  pretty. 
At  J  past  4  we  came  home  and  I  worked.     At  7  we 
dined.     The  dining-room  is  a  fine  room  beautifully 
worked  at  the  ceiling.     Four  large  statues  of  Maltese 
stone  occupy  4  corners,  very  beautifully  executed  ; 
one    with    a    helmet    is    Sir    Gilbert    le    Grosvenor,* 
and  the  lady  ^  next  by  him  is  the  heiress  of  Eaton ; 
on  the  opposite  side  the  man  is  Sir  Robert  le  Gros- 
venor,   distinguished   in  the  battle   of   Cressy  ;    the 
lady  near  him  is  a  Miss  Davis  who  by  intermarrying 
brought  the  possessions  in  town,  as  Grosvenor  Square, 
Belgrave  Square,  etc.,  etc."*     The  window  is  stained 

*  Elinor,  afterwards  Duchess  of  Northvtmberland. 

^  Gilbert  le  Grosvenator,  nephew  of  Hugh  Lupus,  Earl  of  Chester. 
^  Joan  {temp.  Henry  VI.),  only  daughter  and  heiress  of  John  Eton  of 
Eton  (now  Eaton),  married  Raufe  le  Grosvenor,  Lord  of  Hulme. 

*  Sir  Thomas  Grosvenor,  third  Baronet,  M.P.  for  Chester,  married 
Mary,  only  daughter  and  heiress  of  Alexander  Davis,  of  Ebury, 
Middlesex.     She  died  in  1730. 


52  ARRIVAL    AT    CHATSWORTH  [^t.  13 

glass  with  the  figure  of  Hugh  Lupus  on  it.  The 
dinner  was  served  on  plate,  and  the  plateau  was 
very  handsome  with  gilt  cups  on  it.  The  side  table 
was  covered  with  gold  plate.  After  dinner  we 
played  at  a  game  of  letters  and  then  I  sang  and 
Mamma  and  Lady  Catherine  sang  and  afterwards 
Lady  Westminster  played  on  the  organ.  I  stayed 
up  till  10.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  ISth  October. — When  we  went  out  after 
luncheon  we  went  in  the  garden  first  and  saw  a 
Roman  altar  which  had  been  dug  up  near  Chester. 
At  7  we  dined.  The  breakfast-room  had  been 
arranged  for  this  purpose.  A  temporary  floor  had 
been  arranged  at  the  top  of  the  room,  for  our  table 
(for  all  the  company  who  had  come  to  the  bow- 
meeting  dined  here),  and  the  other  four  were  lower. 
After  the  dinner  (we  being  still  at  table)  was  over 
some  glee-singers  from  Chester  came  and  sang  the 
grace  in  Latin.  Then  Lord  Westminster  gave  out 
some  toasts  ;  amongst  others,  "  The  King,"  "  The 
Queen,"  Mamma  and  me ;  which  were  received 
extremely  well.  After  dinner  was  over,  I  gave  the 
children,  who  had  come  when  dinner  was  over,  a 
little  remembrance.  I  then  took  leave  of  the  whole 
family  and  went  to  bed.     I  stayed  up  till  10. 

Friday,  19th  October. —  .  .  .  i  past  4.  We  have 
just  changed  horses  at  Buxton,  which  is  a  pretty 
place.  The  houses  are  well  built  and  form  a  crescent. 
The  country  about  here  is  very  pretty,  high  rocks 
covered  with  trees.  There  are  all  about  here  little 
rivulets  and  fountains,  rippling  over  stones.  At  J 
past  6  we  arrived  at  Chatsworth,  which  is  a  beautiful 
house.  It  was  quite  dark.  It  is  built  in  the  shape 
of  a  square  joined  by  an  arch  under  which  one 
must  drive.     We  were  met  at  the  door  by  the  Duke 


1832]  PARTY    AT    CHATSWORTH  58 

of  Devonshire  '  who  conducted  us  up  the  staircase, 
which  is  made  of  wood,  to  our  apartments  which 
are  indeed  beautifvd.  In  the  corridor  there  are  some 
beautiful  statues.  I  dined  by  myself  in  my  own 
room  with  Lehzen.  I  stayed  up  till  J  past  8.  I 
was  soon  in  bed  and  asleep. 

Saturday,  20th  October. — I  awoke  at  J  past  7 
and  got  up  at  8.  At  a  little  past  9  we  breakfasted, 
us  5  by  ourselves  in  a  lovely  room  giving  on  the 
park  and  garden  where  one  could  see  a  cascade 
which  ran  all  the  way  down.  The  room  is  small; 
the  ceiling  is  painted  and  represents  some  mythology, 
with  books  round  the  room  and  a  splendid  carpet. 
At  about  11  we  went  over  the  house  with  the  com- 
pany, which  consisted  of  Lord  and  Lady  Cavendish,^ 
Lord  and  Lady  Newburgh,^  Mr.  and  Lady  Caroline 
Lascelles,*    Count    Karoly,    Mrs.    Arkwright,    Lady 

1  William  Spencor,  sixth  Duke  of  Devonshire.  His  mother  was 
Georgiana,  famous  for  her  beauty  and  its  influence  over  George  IV. 
and  Lord  Grey.  The  sixth  Duke  inherited  from  his  mother  his  Whig 
proclivities.  He  was  a  patron  of  arts  and  letters.  Devonshire  House 
under  his  bachelor  rule  was  a  centre  of  hospitality.  That  the  Duke 
never  married,  notwithstanding  his  admiration  of  the  fair  sex,  gave 
rise  to  much  speculation  and  gossip. 

2  William,  Lord  Cavendish,  grandson  of  George  Augustus  Henry, 
first  Earl  of  Burlington,  and  great-grandson  of  the  fourth  Duke  of 
Devonshire.  In  1858  he  became  the  seventh  Duke,  and  died  in  1891. 
He  married  in  1829  Blanche  Georgiana,  daughter  of  the  sixth  Earl  of 
Carlisle.  He  was  beloved  and  respected  by  all  who  were  privileged  to 
know  him.  In  the  spheres  of  education  and  science  his  quiet  activities 
were  not  unremarked.  He  was  an  admirable  landlord  and  a  most 
efficient  man  of  affairs.  For  his  careful  education  of  his  eldest  son, 
the  Marquess  of  Hartington,  the  nation  owes  him  a  large  debt  of 
gratitude. 

3  Thomas,  seventh  Earl  of  Newburgh,  married  1817  Margaret, 
daughter  of  the  Marquess  of  Ailsa.     Died  1833. 

*  Rt.  Hon.  William  S.  S.  Lascelles,  M.P.,  third  son  of  the  second 
Earl  of  Harewood,  married  Caroline  Georgiana,  eldest  daughter  of 
the  sixth  Earl  of  Carlisle. 


54  THE    SIGHTS    OF    CHATSWORTH  [mt.u 

Clifford,  Lord  and  Lady  Wharncliffe,i  Mrs.  Talbot, 
Lord  Morpeth,^  Mr.  Cooper,  Mr.  Henry  Greville, 
and  Miss  Fanny  Cavendish.^  It  would  take  me 
days,  were  I  to  describe  minutely  the  whole.  We 
went  all  over  the  house,  and  the  carving  of  the 
frame-work  of  some  looking-glasses  was  quite 
beautiful ;  they  are  carved  in  the  shape  of  birds, 
the  plumage  being  so  exquisite  that  if  it  was  not 
of  the  colour  of  wood  one  might  take  them  for 
feathers.  It  not  only  surrounds  the  mirrors  but 
the  ceilings  of  some  of  the  rooms.  We  saw  Lady 
Cavendish's  little  boy  who  is  10  months  old,  a  beauti- 
ful child.  We  likewise  saw  the  kitchen  which  is 
superb  for  its  size  and  cleanliness  ;  and  the  con- 
fectionary which  is  as  pretty  and  neat.  The  Duke's 
own  apartments  contain  some  superb  statues  of 
Canova  and  others  ;  likewise  a  beautiful  collection 
of  minerals.  We  saw  the  library  and  dining-room 
which  are  all  beautiful.  The  library's  ceiling  is 
painted  in  figures  ;  and  the  carpet  is  beautiful.  The 
conservatory  which  leads  from  the  dining-room  is 
very  pretty.  We  then  walked  out  in  the  garden, 
I  went  into  another  conservatory  which  contains  a 
rockery  with  water  falling  from  it.  There  are  some 
curious  plants  there,  amongst  others  two  which 
are  worthy  of  remark  ;  the  one  is  called  the  pitcher- 
plant  because  at  the  end  of  each  leaf  hangs  a  little 
bag  or  pitcher  which  fills  with  the  dew  and  supplies 

1  James  Archibald  (1776-1845),  first  Lord  Wharncliffe,  and  his  wife 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John,  first  Earl  of  Erne. 

2  George  William,  Lord  Morpeth,  afterwards  seventh  Earl  of  Carlisle, 
a  prominent  but  coraparatively  undistinguished  member  of  every 
Whig  Administration  from  1835  to  1864. 

^  Sister  of  Lord  Cavendish  (afterwards  seventh  Duke  of  Devon- 
shire) referred  to  above.  She  became  the  wife  of  F.  J.  Howard,  M.P, 
for  Youghal. 


1832]  HADDON    HALL  55 

the  plant  when  it  wants  water ;  the  other  is  called  the 
fly-catcher  plant,  because  whenever  a  fly  touches  it, 
it  closes.     From  the  conservatory  we  went  and  looked 
at  a  monkey  which  is  in  the  garden,  chained.     We 
then  went  to  the  cascade  and  saw  some  other  foun- 
tains very  curious  and  pretty.     When  we  had  come 
on  the  terrace  the  Duke  wished  us  to  plant  two  trees 
down  under  the  terrace.     So  we  did,  I  planted  an 
oak  and   Mamma   a   Spanish    chesnut.      After   that 
we  went  upon  the  terrace  again  and  went  up  a  plat- 
form which  had  been  arranged  with  carpets,  to  view 
the  cricket-match  below  ;    the  Buxton  band  playing 
"  God   save  the   King  "   and   the  people   hurraying 
and  others  under  tents  looked  very  pretty.     From 
there  we  went  to  the  stables   where  we   saw   some 
pretty  ponies  and  a  Russian  coachman  in  his  full 
dress,  and  the  only  Russian  horse  which  remained 
reared  at  his  command  ;    there  were  3  other  horses, 
English  ones,  but  trained  like  the  other.     At  about 
J  past  1  we  came  home  and  lunched  with  the  whole 
party.     At  J  past  2  we  went  in  a  carriage  and  6 
with  the  Duke  and  Mrs.  Cavendish,  to  Haddon  Hall, 
a  very    old   and   singular   place.     The   old   tapestry 
still  remaining  and  iron  hooks  to  keep  it  back.     We 
then  went  to  the  Rookery,  a  small  cottage  belonging 
to  the  Duke  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Wye,  very 
pretty    and    cool.     From    there    we    walked    to    the 
Marble  Mills  and  saw  how  they  sawed  and  polished 
the  marble.     There  was  a  little  cottage  where  they 
sold  Derbysliire  spar  in  different  little  shapes  and 
forms,   and   some  pieces   of   marble   too.     We  then 
drove  home  after  having  bought  a  good  many  things. 
We  came  in  at  5.     At  7  we  dined  and  after  dinner 
at  about  |  past  9  we  looked  at  the  cascade  illuminated, 
which  looked  very  pretty,  and  the  fountains,  blue 


56  THEATRICALS    AT    CHATSWORTH  [*t.  13 

lights,    red   lights,    rockets,    etc.     At   about    10   the 
charade   began    in   3    syllables    and    4    scenes.     The 
first  act  was  a  scene  out  of  Bluebeard  ;    Lady  Caro- 
line Lascelles  and  Miss  F.  Cavendish  acting  the  ladies, 
and   Count   Karoly  as  Bluebeard,  with   Lord   New- 
burgh  and  Mr.  Lascelles  as  their  friends.     The  next 
act  was  a  scene  of  carrying  offerings  to  Father  Nile ; 
Mrs.   Talbot,   Lady   Cavendish,   Lady   Clifford,   Miss 
Cavendish,  and  the  two  Miss  Smiths  as  the  vestals ; 
and  Lord  Morpeth,  Lord  Newburgh,  Count  Karoly, 
Mr.   Greville,   Sir  A.  Clifford, »   Mr  Cooper,   and  Mr. 
Lascelles  as  the   men.     Mr.   Beaumont  was  Father 
Nile.     The  third  act  was   a   scene  of   Tom  Thumb  ; 
Lord  Morpeth  as  Tom  Thumb,  and  Lord  Newburgh 
as  the  nurse.     The  fourth  act  was  a  scene  out  of  Kenil- 
worth  (which  was  the  word)  ;  Mrs.  Talbot  as  Queen 
Elizabeth,  Lady  Cavendish  as  Amy,  Lady  Caroline 
and  Miss  Cavendish  (who  danced  the  menuet  with 
Coiuit   Karoly)   as  her  attendants  ;    little   Georgina 
Lascelles  ^  as  page  to  bear  the  Queen's  train.  Lord 
Morpeth  as  Lord  Leicester,   Lord  Newburgh  as  an 
attendant.   Count  Karoly  as  Lord  Shrewsbury,  Mr. 
Cooper  as  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  and  Lord  Waterpark  ' 
and  Mr.  Greville  as  two  more  men  of  the  Queen's, 
not  to  omit  Lady  Clifford  as  the  Queen's  lady,  and 
Sir  Augustus  as  a  gentleman  of  the  Queen.     They 
were   all   in  regular  costumes.     When   it  was   over, 
which  was  at  J  to  12,  I  went  to  bed.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  2Uh  October. —  .  .    .  At  1  we  arrived 
at   Alton   Towers,    the    seat    of    Lord    Shrewsbury.* 

^  Sir  Aiigustus  Clifford,  formerly  Usher  of  the  Black  Rod,  married 
Elizabeth  Frances,  sister  of  the  fourth  Marquess  Townshend. 

2  Afterwards  wife  of  Charles  William  Grenfell,  M.P. 

3  Henry  Manners,  third  Lord  Waterpark. 

*  John,  sixteenth  Earl  of  Shrewsbury  (1791-1852). 


1832]  AT    ALTON    TOWERS  67 

This  is  an  extraordinary  house.  On  arriving  one 
goes  into  a  sort  of  gallery  filled  with  armour,  guns, 
swords,  pistols,  models,  flags,  etc.,  etc.,  then  into  a 
gallery  filled  with  beautiful  pictures  and  then  into 
a  conservatory  with  birds.  We  lunched  there  and 
the  luncheon  was  served  on  splendid  gold  plate. 
We  then  walked  in  the  gardens.  At  J  past  2  we 
left  it.  .   .  . 

Wednesday,  Slst  October. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got 
up  at  h  past  7.  At  J  past  9  we  breakfasted  in  the 
drawing-room,  for  the  gentlemen  who  were  going 
to  hunt  breakfasted  in  the  other  room,  all  the  ladies 
and  Sir  John  breakfasting  with  us.  After  breakfast 
at  about  J  past  10  we  went  into  the  room  where  they 
were,  and  they  gave  us  a  toast  with  many  cheers. 
After  that  we  walked  out  to  see  the  hunt.  We 
saw  them  set  off.  It  was  an  immense  field  of  horse- 
men, who  in  their  red  jackets  and  black  hats  looked 
lively  and  gave  an  animating  appearance  to  the 
whole.  They  had  a  large  pack  of  hounds  and 
three  huntsmen  or  Whippers-in.  They  drew  a 
covert  near  here  in  hopes  of  finding  a  fox,  but  as 
they  did  not  they  returned  and  we  got  into  the 
carriage  with  Lady  Selina  *  and  Lehzen  while  all 
the  huntsmen  and  the  hounds  followed.  Wlien  we 
came  to  a  field,  thev  drew  another  covert  and  sue- 
ceeded  ;  we  saw  the  fox  dash  past  and  all  the  people 
and  hounds  after  him,  the  hounds  in  full  cry.  The 
hounds  killed  him  in  a  wood  quite  close  by.  The 
huntsman  then  brought  him  out  and  cutting  off 
the  brush  Sir  Edward  Smith  (to  whom  the  hounds 
belong)  brought  it  to  me.  Then  the  huntsmen  cut 
off  for  themselves  the  ears  and  4  paws,  and  lastly 

^  Lord  Liverpool's  second  daughter,  married,  first,  to  Lord  Milton, 
secondly  to  George  Savile  Foljambe,  of  Osberton,  Notts. 


58  A    HUNTING    EPISODE  [^et.is 

they  threw  it  to  the  dogs,  who  tore  it  from  side  to 
side  till  there  was  nothing  left.  We  then  went 
home.  At  1  we  lunched,  and  at  2,  I,  Lady  Selina, 
Lady  Louisa  ^  and  dear  Lehzen  went  out  walking, 
towards  a  farm  of  Lord  Liverpool's,  and  when  we 
had  passed  the  farm  and  were  going  to  return  by 
the  village,  we  heard  the  blast  of  a  horn  and  we 
looked  and  saw  the  hounds  and  hunters  going 
full  gallop  along  a  field  which  was  below  the  field 
in  which  we  were  walking.  They  came  and  crossed 
the  field  in  which  we  were  and  we  saw  all  the  riders 
leap  over  a  ditch.  We  went  back  the  same  way 
that  we  might  see  them.  When  we  came  near  home 
we  saw  them  go  home  by  the  house.  At  J  past 
3  we  came  home.  At  |  past  6  we  dined,  and  I 
received  my  brush  which  had  been  fixed  on  a  stick 
by  the  huntsman  ;  it  is  a  beautiful  one.  Amongst 
the  people  who  were  here,  those  who  remain  are  Mr., 
Mrs.,  and  Miss  Corbett,  Mr.,  Mrs.,  and  Miss  Child. 
After  dinner  the  young  ladies  played  some  pretty 
things  from  the  Pirata  and  from  Fra  Diavolo.  I 
stayed  up  till  near  10.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  7th  November. —  .  .  .  J  to  4.  We  have 
just  changed  horses  at  Woodstock,  and  another 
detachment  of  Yeomanry  commanded  by  Lord 
Churchill  ^  ride  with  us  now.  We  passed  through 
Oxford  on  our  way.  At  about  a  little  past  5  we 
arrived  at  Wytham  Abbey,  the  seat  of  Lord  Abing- 
don.' We  were  received  at  the  door  by  Lord  and 
Lady   Abingdon,   Lady   Charlotte   Bertie   and  Lady 

^  Loviisa,  third  daughter  of  Lord  Liverpool,  married  John  Cotes 
of  Woodcote,  Salop. 

2  Francis,  first  Lord  Churchill,  third  son  of  George,  fourth  Duke 
of  Marlborough. 

3  Montagu,  fifth  Earl  of  Abingdon,  married  Emily,  sister  of  the 
third  Viscoxmt  Gage. 


18321  WYTHAM    AND    OXFORD  59 

Emily  Bathurst,  their  daughters.  The  house  is 
very  comfortable  ;  in  the  drawing-room  there  is  a 
lovely  picture  by  Angelica  Kauffman,  Penelope. 
After  staying  a  few  minutes  downstairs  we  went 
upstairs  to  our  rooms  which  are  very  pretty  and 
comfortable.  At  a  little  past  7  we  dined  with 
several  other  people.  I  stayed  up  till  a  little  past  9. 
Thursday,  Sth  November. — I  awoke  at  a  little  to 
8  and  got  up  at  8.  At  a  little  past  9  we  breakfasted 
with  the  whole  party.  At  10  o'clock  we  set  out  for 
Oxford  in  a  close  carriage  and  4  with  Lord  Abingdon 
and  Lady  Charlotte  Bertie  ;  the  other  ladies  going 
in  carriages  before  us.  We  got  out  first  at  the 
Divinity  College,  and  walked  from  thence  to  the 
theatre,  which  was  built  by  Sir  Christopher  Wren. 
The  ceiling  is  painted  with  allegorical  figures.  The 
galleries  are  ornamented  with  carving  enriched  with 
gold.  It  was  filled  to  excess.  We  were  most 
WARMLY  and  ENTHUSIASTICALLY  received.  They 
hurrayed  and  applauded  us  immensely  for  there  were 
all  the  students  there  ;  all  in  their  gowns  and  caps. 
Mamma  received  an  address  which  was  presented 
by  the  Vice-Chancellor,  Dr.  Rowly,  and  Mamma 
answered  it  as  usual.  Then  Sir  John  ^  was  made  a 
Doctor  of  Civil  Law.  After  that  was  over,  we  re- 
turned through  Divinity  College  and  proceeded  in 
our  carriages  to  the  Council  Chamber  where  Mamma 
received  an  address  there,  from  the  corporation  of 
Oxford,  and  Sir  John  the  freedom  of  the  City  of 
Oxford.  We  then  went  to  Christ  Church,  which  is 
very  fine,  viewed  the  hall  and  chapel  and  library. 
Dr.  Gaisford  *  is  the  Dean  of  Christ  Church  and  is  at 
the  head  of  that  college.     From  there  we  went  to 

^  Sir  John  Conroy, 

2  Thomas  Gaisford,  Dean  of  Christ  Church,  1831-1855. 


60  A    DAY    IN    OXFORD  [^t.  13 

the  Bodleian  library  which  is  immense.  Amongst 
other  curiosities  there  is  Queen  Elizabeth's  Latin 
exercise  book  when  she  was  of  my  age  (13).  We 
went  through  Mr.  Sneed's  house  to  our  carriages. 
From  there  to  All  Souls'  College  where  Mr.  Sneed  is 
the  warden.  It  is  not  a  college  for  education,  but 
after  they  have  taken  their  degree.  We  saw  the 
library  and  chapel  which  is  very  beautiful.  We 
then  went  to  University  College  of  which  the  Vice- 
chancellor  is  the  head.  We  lunched  there  and  saw 
the  chapel  which  is  very  fine.  From  there  we  went 
to  New  College  of  which  Dr.  Shuttleworth  *  is  the 
head.  We  saw  the  chapel  and  hall.  From  there  to 
the  Clarendon  printing-press  which  is  very  amusing 
but  would  take  up  too  much  space  and  time  to 
describe.  We  then  went  home.  We  arrived  at 
home  at  J  past  3.  At  7  we  dined  with  some  other 
peoj^le  who  were  Lord  Cantelupe/  Lord  Folkestone,^ 
Lord  Loftus,*  Mr.  Gage,^  Mr.  Canning,^  Lord  Thomas 
Clinton/    Mr.    L.  Gower,^  Lord  Boscawen,^  etc.  etc. 

1  Philip  Nicholas  Shuttleworth,  afterwards  (1840-1842)  Bishop  of 
Chichester. 

2  George,  Viscotmt  Cantelupe  (1814-1850),  died  in  the  lifetime  of 
his  father,  the  fifth  Earl  de  la  Warr. 

3  Jacob,   afterwards   fourth  Earl  of  Radnor   (1815-1889). 

*  John  Henry,  afterwards  third  Marquess  of  Ely  (1814-1857).  His 
wife  was  in  after-years  Lady  of  the  Bedchamber  to  Queen  Victoria, 
and  perhaps  the  most  widely  known  of  her  ladies. 

8  Probably  Henry  Edward  Hall  Gage  (1814-1875),  eldest  son 
of  the  fotirth  Viscount  Gage,  in  whose  lifetime  he  died. 

"  Charles  Canning  (1812-1862),  afterwards  Viscount  Canning  and 
Governor-General  of  India. 

7  Lord  Thomas  Clinton  (1813-1882),  third  son  of  Henry,  fourth 
Duke  of  Newcastle,  K.G. 

8  Mr.  Granville  Leveson-Gower,  afterwards  second  Earl  Granville 
(1815-1891),  well  known  as  Secretary  of  State  for  Foreign  Affairs  in 
Mr.  Gladstone's  Administration. 

^  George  Henry,  afterwards  second  Earl  of  Falmouth  (1811-1862). 


1832]  BACK    AT    KENSINGTON  61 

After  dinner  the  young  ladies  sang  to  the  guitar 
which  one  of  them  played.  We  then  sang  and 
Lord  Abingdon.     I  stayed  up  till  10. 

Friday,  9th  November. —  ...  At  about  J  past  5 
we  arrived  at  Kensington  Palace.  We  resumed  our 
old  rooms.  At  7  we  dined  with  Jane  and  Victoire 
Conroy,  Lord  Liverpool  and  Sir  John.  My  aunt 
Sophia  ^  came  after  dinner.  I  stayed  up  till  a  J 
to  9. 

Monday,  2'ith  December. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got 
up  at  8.  At  9  we  breakfasted.  At  \  past  9  came 
the  Dean,^  and  I  gave  him  Mamma's  and  my  Christ- 
mas box.  He  stayed  till  \  past  11.  In  the  course 
of  the  moaning  I  gave  Mrs.  Brock  a  Christmas  box 
and  all  our  people.  At  J  past  1  we  lunched.  At  J 
past  2  came  Mr.  Westall*  till  J  past  3.  At  4  came 
Mr.  Sale^  till  5.  At  a  J  to  7  we  dined  with  the 
whole  Conroy  family  and  Mr.  Hore  downstairs,  as 
our  Christmas  tables  were  arranged  in  our  dining- 
room.  After  dinner  we  went  upstairs.  I  then  saw 
Flora,  the  dog  which  Sir  John  was  going  to  give 
Mamma.  Aunt  Sophia  came  also.  We  then  went 
into  the  drawing-room  near  the  dining-room.  After 
Mamma  had  rung  a  bell  three  times  we  went  in.  There 
were  two  large  round  tables  on  which  were  placed 
two  trees  hung  with  lights  and  sugar  ornaments. 
All  the  presents  being  placed  round  the  tree.  I 
had  one  table  for  myself  and  the  Conroy  family  had 

^  Princess  Sophia  (1777-1848)  was  a  daughter  of  George  III.,  and 
younger  sister  of  Princess  Augusta  Sophia  (1768-1840).     See  p.  200. 

2  The  Very  Rev.  George  Davys,  the  Princess's  instructor,  at  this 
time  Dean  of  Chester,  subsequently  Bishop  of  Peterborough. 

3  Richard  Westall   (1765-1836),  an  R.A.  since   1794   and    painter 
of  many  historical  pictures. 

*  John  Bernard  Sale  (1779-1856),  organist  of  St.  Margaret's,  West- 
minster,  and   afterwards   of   the   Chapel   Royal. 


62  CHRISTMAS    PRESENTS  [jet.  13 

the  other  together.  Lehzen  had  likewise  a  little  table. 
Mamma  gave  me  a  little  lovely  pink  bag  which  she 
had  worked  with  a  little  sachet  likewise  done  by  her  ; 
a  beautiful  little  opal  brooch  and  earrings,  books, 
some  lovely  prints,  a  pink  satin  dress  and  a  cloak 
lined  with  fur.  Aunt  Sophia  gave  me  a  dress  which 
she  worked  herself,  and  Aunt  Mary  ^  a  pair  of  amethyst 
earrings.  Lehzen  a  lovely  music-book.  Victoire  a 
very  pretty  white  bag  worked  by  herself,  and  Sir 
John  a  silver  brush.  I  gave  Lehzen  some  little 
things  and  Mamma  gave  her  a  writing  table.  We 
then  went  to  my  room  where  I  had  arranged  Mamma's 
table.  I  gave  Mamma  a  white  bag  which  I  had 
worked,  a  collar  and  a  steel  chain  for  Flora,  and  an 
Annual ;  Aunt  Sophia  a  pair  of  turquoise  earrings  ; 
Lehzen  a  little  white  and  gold  pincushion  and  a  pin 
with  two  little  gold  hearts  hanging  to  it ;  Sir  John, 
Flora,  a  book-holder  and  an  Annual.  Mamma  then 
took  me  up  into  my  bedroom  with  all  the  ladies. 
There  was  my  new  toilet  table  with  a  white  muslin 
cover  over  pink,  and  all  my  silver  things  standing 
on  it  with  a  fine  new  looking-glass.  I  stayed  up 
till  I  past  9.  The  dog  went  away  again  to  the 
doctor  for  her  leg.  I  saw  good  Louis  ^  for  an  instant 
and  she  gave  me  a  lovely  little  wooden  box  with 
bottles. 

^  The  Duchess  of  Gloucester.     See  p.  65. 

2  An  attached  attendant,  to  whose  memory,  after  her  death,  the 
Queen  erected  a  tablet  in  St.  Martin's-in-the-Fields.  She  was  diesser 
to  Princess  Charlotte. 


t 


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> 


H.R.H.    PRINCESS    SOPHIA. 

From  a  portrait  by  Sir  W.  Ross. 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE   TO   CHAPTER  II 

When  the  Princess  was  fourteen  years  old  she  obtained  her  first 
sight  of  Osborne,  that  future  home  in  the  Isle  of  Wight  where 
she  was  destined  to  spend  so  many  happy  years,  and  which 
was  associated  with  the  closing  scenes  of  her  life.  Osborne  Lodge 
was  the  residence  of  Sir  John  Conroy.  It  occupied  the  site  of 
Osborne  Cottage,  now  the  residence  of  the  Queen's  youngest 
daughter,  Princess  Henry  of  Battenberg.  In  spite  of  the  changes 
made  in  the  appearance  of  Osborne  by  the  erection  of  Osborne 
House  and  the  laying-out  of  the  grounds  round  it,  that  portion 
of  the  estate  where  Osborne  Cottage  stands,  and  Whippingham 
Church,  with  its  manifold  associations,  have  much  the  same 
aspect  as  they  had  when  first  explored  by  Princess  Victoria  in  1833. 

On  her  birthday.  King  William  gave  a  children's  party  at 
St.  James's  in  his  niece's  honour,  and  the  ball  was  opened  by 
the  little  Princess  and  her  cousin  Prince  George  of  Cambridge, 
then  a  boy  of  fourteen,  who  was  afterwards  to  be  the  Commander- 
in-Chief  of  her  armies.  The  Princess  speaks  of  the  ball-room. 
It  is  difficult  to  be  sure  which  room  is  meant  by  this.  The 
eastern  end  of  St.  James's  Palace  had  been  destroyed  by  fire  in 
1809,  and  had  only  recently  been  rebuilt.  The  Palace  was 
occupied  by  William  IV.  and  Queen  Adelaide,  the  Queen's 
rooms  being  in  that  portion  which  is  now  called  Clarence  House, 
and  the  King's  apartments  occupying  the  western  end  of  what 
is  now  St.  James's  Palace  proper.  It  was  probably  the  room 
hung  with  yellow  silk,  next  but  one  to  the  Throne-room,  so 
familiar  to  those  who  attend  the  King's  Levees,  that  the  little 
Princess  opened  her  first  ball. 

This  was  not  her  first  introduction  into  Society.  Three 
years  before  she  had  been  seen  at  Court,  and  in  1831  she  had 
attended  a  Drawing-room, 

The  Princess  now  acquired  a  habit  (which  she  practised  for 
many  years)  of  making  sketches  from  memory  of  the  artists  and 
scenes  that  struck  her  imagination  during  her  visits  to  the  theatre. 
There  are  many  volumes  at  Windsor  Castle  full  of  the  Princess's 
recollections  of  the  theatre,  drawn  in  pencil  or  in  water-colour. 
Although  the  technique  may  be  faulty,  these  sketches  are  full 
of  movement  and  quaintly  descriptive.  They  indicate  an  ab- 
sorbed attention  on  her  part,  and  a  vivid  memory.  They  sug- 
gest a  power  of  concentration  upon  the  thing  she  was  about, 
which  became  in  after-life  a  marked  characteristic.  From  her 
journals  and  her  sketches  as  a  child  of  fourteen,  an  inference 
might  be  drawn  that  little  escaped  the  acute  observation  of  the 
little  Princess.  There  are  many  who  remember  how  in  later  life 
very  little  escaped  the  observation  of  the  Queen. 

63 


CHAPTER    II 
1833 

Tuesday,  15th  January. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up 
at  8.  At  10  minutes  to  9  we  breakfasted.  At  J  past 
9  came  the  Dean  till  J  past  11.  Just  before  we  went 
out,  Mamma's  little  dog,  a  beautiful  spaniel  of  King 
Charles's  breed,  called  Dash,  and  which  Sir  John 
gave  her  yesterday,  came  and  will  now  remain  here. 
At  a  J  past  12  Lehzen  and  I  went  out  walking  in  the 
park.  We  met  Mrs.  Talbot.  When  we  came  home 
I  fed  dear  Rosy  who  was  so  greedy.  At  J  past  1  we 
lunched.  At  3  came  Mr.  Steward  *  till  4.  At  4 
came  Mons.  Grandineau '  till  5.  Little  Dash  is 
perfection,  he  is  already  much  attached  to  Mamma 
and  lies  always  at  her  feet.  At  7  we  dined.  Aunt 
Sophia  came  at  8.  Sir  John  dined  here.  I  stayed 
up  till  J  past  8.  .  .   . 

Thursday,  Slst  January. — At  1  we  lunched.  At  2 
I  sat  to  Mr.  Hayter  ^  till  10  minutes  to  4.  At  5  we 
dined.  Sir  John  dined  here.  At  J  past  6  we  went 
with  Lady  Conroy,  Jane  and  Victoire  to  the  play  to 
Drury   Lane.     It   was   the  opera   of   The   Barber  of 

^  Thomas  Steward,  teacher  of  writing  and  arithmetic. 

2  M.  Grandineau,  teacher  of  French. 

3  Mr.  (afterwards  Sir)  Gleorge  Hayter  (1792-1871),  a  ceremonial 
painter  of  some  merit.  He  was  the  official  limner  of  two  Royal  heiresses 
— i.e.  Princess  Charlotte  and  Princess  Victoria.  He  was  designated, 
somewhat  equivocally,  i'ainter  in  Ordinary  to  the  Queen. 

64 


1833J  OPERA    AND    THEATRE  65 

Seville.  It  is  so  well  known  that  I  need  not  describe 
it.  The  principal  characters  were  Count  Almaviva, 
Mr.  Wood,  who  looked,  sang,  and  acted  extremely 
well ;  Rosina,  Mrs.  Wood  ;  Figaro,  Mr.  Philipps, 
who  sung  very  well ;  Dr.  Bartolo,  Mr.  Seguin,  who 
acted  very  well.  It  was  in  3  acts  and  I  was  very 
much  amused.  The  after  piece  called  The  Nervous 
Man  is  only  amusing  in  parts,  for  Mr.  Farren^  and 
Mr.  Power,  two  excellent  comic  actors.  We  did  not 
see  the  end  of  it.     We  came  home  at  12.  .   .   . 

Saturday,  9th  February. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up 
at  J  past  7.  At  J  past  8  we  breakfasted.  At  J  past 
9  came  the  Dean  till  11.  At  J  past  12  we  lunched. 
At  1  we  paid  a  visit  to  my  aunt  the  Duchess  of 
Gloucester.'  When  we  came  home  I  fed  dear  little 
Rosa,  and  little  Isabell.  At  J  past  2  came  Mr. 
Westall  ^  till  J  past  3.  At  a  J  past  5  we  dined.  Sir 
John  dined  here.  At  J  past  6  we  went  to  the  play 
with  Lady  Conroy,  Victoire  and  Lehzen  as  usual. 
It  was  the  ballet  of  Kenilworth.  The  subject  is  taken 
from  the  novel  by  Sir  Walter  Scott,  which  being  so 
well  known  I  shall  not  describe.  The  principal 
characters  were.  Lord  Leicester,  Mons.  Theodore 
Guerinot,  who  danced  beautifully  ;  Amy  Robsart, 
Mdlle.  Pauline  Leroux,  who  danced  and  acted  beauti- 
fully and  looked  quite  lovely  ;  Jenny,  Madame  Proche 
Giubilei,  who  acted  very  well  and  looked  very  pretty  ; 
Queen  Elizabeth,  Mrs.  Vining  ;  Varney,  Mr.  W.  H. 
Payne  ;   Earl  of  Sussex,  Signor  Rossi ;   Lord  Shrews- 

1  William  Farren  (1786-1861),  an  actor  of  distinction  himself,  and 
a  member  of  a  histrionic  family  of  unusual  merit. 

^  Mary,  fourth  daughter  of  George  III.,  who  married  her  cousin 
William  Frederick,  Duke  of  Gloucester.  She  died  in  1857.  The  Queen 
looked  upon  her  "  as  a  sort  of  grandmother,"  and  described  her  as  full 
of  kindness,  amiability,  and  unselfishness. 

3  See  post,  p.  104. 

1—6 


66  LIFE    AT    KENSINGTON  [^t.i3 

bury,  Mr.  Bertram.  Besides  these,  Mdlle.  Adele  and 
Mdlle.  Chavigny  danced  a  pas  de  trois  with  Mons. 
Theodore  Guerinot.  They  danced  very  well.  At 
20    minutes   past   9   we    came    home.     I    then    took 

CC^Cti  •       •       •       • 

Friday,  5th  April. — To-day  is  Good  Friday.  At 
10  we  went  to  prayers.  Jane  and  Victoire  also. 
The  service  was  performed  by  the  Dean,  wiio  gave 
us  likewise  a  very  good  sermon.  It  was  taken  from 
the  8th  chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  30th 
verse.  At  a  J  past  12  we  went  out  walking.  When 
we  came  home  I  fed  sweet  Rosy.  At  |  past  1  we 
lunched.  At  3  came  Victoire  till  5.  At  7  we 
dined.  At  8  came  Aunt  Sophia.  I  stayed  up  till 
J  past  8.   .   .   . 

Saturday,  13th  April. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up  at 
8.  At  a  J  to  9  we  breakfasted.  At  J  past  9  came  the 
Dean  till  J  past  11.  The  Duchess  of  Northumber- 
land ^  was  present.  At  12  we  went  out  riding  in  the 
park  with  Victoire,  Lehzen  and  Sir  John.  It  was 
a  delightful  ride.  We  cantered  a  good  deal.  Sweet 
LITTLE  Rosy  went  beautifully  !  !  We  came  home 
at  a  J  past  1.  At  J  past  1  we  lunched.  Neither  of 
my  masters  came.  At  6  we  dined.  The  Duchess  of 
Northumberland,  Lady  Charlotte  St.  Maur,*  and 
Sir  John  dined  here.  At  20  minutes  to  7  we  went  out 
with  them  to  the  Opera.  We  were  very  much  dis- 
appointed for  Taglioni  did  not  make  her  debut,  nor 
Rubini.  We  had  only  one  scene  of  //  Barhihe  di 
Siviglia,    in    which    Signor    Tambourini,    who    is    a 

^  Charlotte  Florentia,  daughter  of  Edward,  first  Earl  of  Powis,  and 
wife  of  Hugh,  third  Duke  of  Northumberland,  K.G.,  GovemesB  to  the 
Princess. 

2  Daughter  of  the  eleventh  Duke  of  Somerset,  afterwards  wife  of 
William  Blount,  of  Orleton,  Herefordshire. 


1833]  RECREATION  67 

beautiful  singer  and  actor,  appeared,  and  Donizelli. 
After  waiting  for  half  an  hour  Laporte  (the  manager) 
was  called  out,  and  he  said  that  Mile.  Taglioni  was 
very  unwell  in  bed,  and  Mad.  M6ric  was  likewise 
ill,  so  that  II  Pirato  could  not  be  performed,  but 
that  Rubini  would  be  there  directly.  After  one 
act  of  Fidelio,  which  was  shockingly  performed, 
Rubini  came  on  and  sang  a  song  out  of  Anna  Boulena 
quite  beautifully.  After  that  there  was  the  ballet  of 
La  Somnambula.  The  principal  characters  were 
Mdlle.  Pauline  Leroux,  who  looked  quite  lovely 
and  acted  prettily  ;  Mdlle.  Adele  ;  Madame  Proche 
Giubelei  who  looked  very  pretty  ;  Messrs.  Albert  and 
Coulon.  We  only  saw  part  of  it.  We  came  home 
at  \  past  11.   .   .  . 

Tuesday,  2Srd  April. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up  at 
J  past  7.  At  9  we  breakfasted.  At  J  past  9  came 
the  Dean  till  J  past  11.  The  Duchess  of  North- 
umberland was  present.  At  a  J  past  12  we  went  out 
riding  with  Lady  Conroy,  Victoire,  Lehzen,  and  Sir 
John.  We  rode  a  little  way  in  the  park,  but  the  fog 
was  so  thick  that  we  turned  round  and  rode  down  by 
Gloucester  Road,  and  turned  up  by  Phillimore  Place, 
where  it  was  very  fine  and  not  at  all  foggy.  Dear 
Rosa  went  beautifully.  We  came  home  at  J  past  1. 
At  J  past  1  we  lunched.  At  3  came  Mr.  Steward 
till  4.  At  4  came  Mons.  Grandineau  till  5.  At  a 
i  to  7  we  dined.  Sir  John  dined  here,  and  I  dressed 
DEAR  SWEET  LITTLE  Dash  for  the  sccoud  time  after 
dinner  in  a  scarlet  jacket  and  blue  trousers.  At 
20  minutes  past  8  Mamma  went  with  Jane  and  Sir 
John  to  the  Opera.     I  stayed  up  till  |  past  8. 

Wednesday,  2Uh  April. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up 
at  8.  At  9  we  breakfasted.  At  J  past  9  came  the 
Dean  till  J  past  11.     At  J  past  1  we  lunched.     At  3 


68  DINNER    TO    THE    KING  [^et.is 

came  Mons.  Grandineau  till  4.  Madame  Bourdin  ' 
did  not  come.  At  J  past  6  Lehzen  and  I  dined.  At 
7  I  and  Lehzen  went  into  the  large  saloon,  for  Mamma 
gave  a  dinner  to  the  King.  There  dined  here,  the 
King  (the  Queen  being  too  unwell  to  come),  the  Duke 
of  Cumberland,  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,"  the  Lord  Chancellor,^  the 
Duke  of  Devonshire,''  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,^  the  Duke 
of  Somerset,^  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Gordon,^ 
the  Duke  of  Rutland,*  the  Duchess  of  Northumberland, 
the  Duchess  of  Sutherland,^  the  Duke  of  Cleveland,^° 


1  The  Princess's  dancing-mistress. 

2  William  Howley  (1766-1848),  Bishop  of  London  1813-28, 
Primate  1828-48.  In  the  opinion  of  Lord  Grey  and  the  Whigs 
"  a  poor,  miserable  creature,"  but  in  reality  a  worthy,  conscientious 
prelate. 

'  Lord  Brougham. 

*  See  ante,  p.  53. 

5  Bernard  Edward,  twelfth  Duke  of  Norfolk  (1765-1842^.  He  was 
given  the  Garter  in  1834 — the  only  K.G.  of  the  Roman  faith.  He 
subsequently  became  a  Protestant. 

*  Edward  Adolphus,  eleventh  Duke  of  Somerset  (1775-1855). 
A  personage  of  no  importance. 

^  George,  fifth  and  last  Duke  of  Gordon.  A  soldier.  He  fought 
in  Ireland  (1798)  and  at  Walcheren  (1809).  A  friend  of  the  Prince 
Regent  and  a  hard  liver,  but  a  high-minded,  honourable  man.  Three  of 
his  sisters  married  the  Dukes  of  Richmond,  Manchester,  and  Bedford. 
The  fourth  married  the  Marquis  Cornwallis.  These  achievements  were 
due  to  the  talents  of  the  old  Duchess  of  Gordon,  a  Scottish  lady  of  strong 
character  and  accent. 

8  John  Henry,  fifth  Duke  of  Rutland,  K.G.  (1778-1857),  chiefly 
remarkable  as  the  father  of  "  Henry  Sidney,"  one  of  Disraeli's  well- 
known  sketches  of  contemporary  potentates. 

8  Elizabeth,  Countess  of  Sutherland  in  her  own  right  (1765-1839), 
married  George  Granville,  Viscount  Trentham,  afterwards  second 
Marquess  of  Stafford.  He  was  created  Duke  of  Sutherland  in  January 
1833.  She  was  habitually  called  the  "  Duchess-Countess "  in  the 
family,  and  is  still  so  called. 

1"  William  Harry,  third  Earl  of  Darlington  and  first  Duke  of 
Cleveland,  K.G.     See  post,  p.  98. 


18331  GUESTS    AT   THE   DINNER  69 

the  Marchioness  of  Westminster,'  the  Earl  of  Liver- 
pool, the  Earl  and  Countess  Grey,'  Lord  Hill,'  Lady 
Dover,*  the  Earl  of  Uxbridge,*  the  Earl  of  Albe- 
marle,' Lord  Amherst,^  Lady  Charlotte  St.  Maur, 
Lady  Catherine  Jenkinson,  Lady  Cust,^  Lady  Conroy, 
Sir  George  Anson,^  Sir  Fredcriek  Wetherall,^°  and 
Sir  John.  At  about  8  I  went  to  my  room  with 
Lehzen.  At  20  minutes  past  9  I  went  into  the 
saloon  with  her  to  meet  the  company.  The  Grena- 
dier Guards'  band  played  after  dinner.  I  saw  all 
the  company  go,     I  stayed  up  till  11.   .   .   . 

Saturday,  27th  April. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up 
at  a  J  to  8.  At  a  J  to  9  we  breakfasted.  At  h  past  9 
came  the  Dean  till  11.  The  Duchess  of  North- 
umberland was  present.  At  12  we  went  out  walking. 
When  we  came  home  I  fed  dear  little  Rosa.  At  a 
J  past  1  we  lunched.     At  |  past  2  came  Mr.  Westall 

^  See  ante,  p.  49. 

2  Charles,  second  Earl  Grey,  Prime  Minister.  Lady  Grey  was 
Mary  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  the  first  Lord  Ponsonby  of  Imskilly. 

^  Rowland,  first  Viscount  Hill,  Commander-in-Chief  from  1828  to 
1842 — an  office  upon  which  he  left  no  mark. 

*  Georgiana,  second  daughter  of  George,  sixth  Earl  of  Carlisle, 
wife  of  the  Rt.  Hon.  George  James  Wolbore,  first  Lord  Dover. 

^  Henry,  Earl  of  Uxbridge,  afterwards  second  Marquess  of  Anglesey, 
a  cavalier  of  spirit,  and  possessed  of  all  the  dashing  qualities  of  the 
Paget  family. 

"  William  Charles,  fourth  Earl  of  Albemarle,  Master  of  the  Horse.  A 
few  days  after  her  accession  the  Queen  sent  for  him  and  said,  "My  Lord, 
you  will  immediately  provide  for  me  six  chargers  to  review  my  troops." 

''  William  Pitt,  first  Earl  Amherst,  quite  inconspicuous  as  Ambas- 
sador to  China  1816-17,  and  Governor-General  of  India  1823-28. 

8  Mary  Anne,  wife  of  Sir  Edward  Cust,  afterwards  Master  of  the 
Ceremonies  to  Queen  Victoria. 

^  General  Sir  George  Anson,  G.C.B.,  Equerry  to  the  Duchess  of 
Kent,  afterwards  Groom  of  the  Bedchamber  to  Prince  Albert. 

^^  General  Sir  Frederick  Wetherall  served  on  the  staff  of   the  Duke 
of  Kent,  and  was  subsequently  his  equerry  and  one  of  the  executors  of 
his  will. 
1—6* 


70  AT    THE    OPERA  Imt.is 

till  J  past  3.  At  20  minutes  to  3  I  sat  to  Mr.  Wyon  ^ 
to  have  my  profile  taken  for  a  medal,  till  10  minutes 
to  5.  At  6  we  dined.  Sir  John  dined  here.  At  a 
J  past  7  we  went  with  Lady  Conroy  and  Lehzen, 
as  usual,  to  the  Opera.  It  was  the  opera  of  Ceneren- 
tola  by  Rossini.  The  principal  characters  were  the 
Prince,  by  Signor  Donizelli  ;  the  Prince's  servant, 
Signor  Tambourini  who  sung  quite  beautifully  ; 
the  father  of  Cenerentola,  Signor  Zuchelli,  who  acted 
uncommonly  well ;  Cenerentola,  Madame  Cinti 
Damoreau  ;  she  sang  quite  beautifully,  so  round, 
so  softly,  and  so  correctly.  It  was  her  first  appear- 
ance this  season  and  she  was  called  out.  The  sisters 
were  two  frightful  creatures.  The  ballet  which 
followed  was  Flore  et  Zephir.  Mdlle.  Taglioni  •  made 
her  first  appearance  this  season.  She  is  grown  very 
thin,  but  danced  beautifully,  so  lightly  and  gracefully, 
and  each  step  so  finished  !  She  took  the  part  of 
Flore,  and  was  very  prettily  dressed  in  a  plain  gauze 
dress,  trimmed  with  flowers  across  her  skirt  ;  a  wreath 
of  flowers  round  her  head,  and  her  hair  quite  flat. 
Pearls  round  her  neck  and  arms.  She  looked  lovely, 
for  she  is  all-ways  smiling.  We  went  away  soon. 
We  came  home  at  12.   .  .   . 

Friday,  Srd  May. — At  12  we  went  with  the 
Duchess  of  Northumberland,  Lady  Charlotte  St. 
Maur,  Lady  Catherine  Jenkinson,  Lady  Cust,  Lady 
Conroy,  Lehzen,  Sir  George  Anson,  and  Sir  John,  to 
the  Exhibition  at  Somerset  House.  We  were  met 
there  by  Sir  Martin  Shee  ^  (the  President),  Mr.  Westall, 

^  William  Wyon,  chief  engraver  at  the  Mint,  afterwards  R.A. 

2  Marie  Taglioni  (1809-84).  Until  the  invasion  of  Europe  by 
Riissian  ballet,  Taglioni's  name  was  the  most  famous  in  the  annals 
of  classical  operatic  dancing. 

3  He  was  President  from  1830  to   1860.     By  his  contemporaries 


1833]  SOMERSET    HOUSE    EXHIBITION  71 

Mr.  Howard  ^  (the  Treasurer),  Mr.  Daniel,  and  Sir 
William  Beechy.*  It  was  a  very  good  exhibition. 
There  were  several  very  fine  pictures  by  Sir  Martin 
Shee.  Seven  by  Mr.  Wcstall.  They  were  4  land- 
scapes, a  drawing  of  Christ  in  the  arms  of  Simeon  in 
the  temple ;  a  sleeping  Cupid,  and  the  death  of 
James  2nd.  All  very  fine.  There  were  5  of  G. 
Hayter's  but  I  only  saw  3,  which  were  my  picture, 
Lady  Lichfield,  and  Mad.  de   Delmar's.     There  were 

3  of  Wilkie's,  a  portrait  of  the  King,  a  very  beautiful 
portrait  of  the  Duke  of  Sussex,  and  Spanish  monks, 
a  scene  witnessed  in  a  capuchin  convent  at  Toledo. 
There  were  several  very  fine  ones  of  Howard,  Daniel, 
Eastlake,*  Landseer,"^  Calcott,''  Pickersgill,^  Hilton,* 
etc.,  etc.     We  came  home  at  J  past  2.     At  J  past 

4  we  went  out  driving  in  the  barouche,  but  we  also 
walked.     We  came  home  at  5.  .  .   . 

Wednesday,  8th  May. — At  J  past  2  came  Mons. 

he  was  as  much  esteemed  as  Lawrence.  America,  however,  has  not 
yet  discovered  him. 

^  Henry  Howard,  appointed  Professor  of  Painting  to  the  Academy 
in  1833. 

^  Sir  William  Beechey,  R.A.  Formerly  Portrait  Painter  to  Queen 
Charlotte,  and  finely  represented  at  Windsor  by  a  series  of  charming 
portraits  of  Royal  children. 

^  Now  in  the  "  Corridor  "  at  Windsor  Castle. 

*  Sir  Charles  Eastlake  (P.R.A.,  1850-65).  He  was  appointed 
by  Sir  R.  Peel  secretary  to  the  Fine  Arts  Commission,  and  later  still 
Director  of  the  National  Gallery.     A  typical  and  meritorious  P.R.A. 

'  Sir  Edwin  Landseer  (1802-73).  The  most  popular  of  British 
painters. 

"  Sir  Augustus  Wall  Callcott  (1779-1844).  A  chorister  of  West- 
minster Abbey  ;  subsequently  a  painter.  Elected  R.A.  1810,  and 
knighted  1837. 

^  Henry  William  Pickersgill,  R.A.  (1782-75),  a  fashionable 
portrait  painter,  patronised  by  famous  men  and  women  ;  he  exhibited 
at  the  Academy  for  over  sixty  years.     He  is  now  quite  forgotten. 

8  William  Hilton,  R.A.,  (1786-1839).  His  work  was  refined,  but, 
owing  to  the  pigment  he  used,  has  practically  vanished. 


72  THE    DUKE    OF    ORLEANS  [jet.  13 

Grandineau  till  J  past  3.  At  a  J  past  4  we  walked 
through  the  gardens,  and  then  drove  in  the  barouche 
in  the  park.  We  came  home  at  5.  At  J  past  6 
Lehzen  and  I  dined.  At  a  little  past  7  Lehzen  and  I 
went  into  the  saloon,  for  Mamma  gave  a  dinner. 
There  dined  here,  H.R.H.  the  Duke  of  Orleans,* 
who  I  was  very  glad  to  see,  for  I  had  not  seen  him 
since  nearly  4  years  ;  he  brought  Mamma  a  letter 
from  his  Mother,  the  Queen  of  the  French,  with  a 
beautiful  dejeuner  of  Sevres  china  ;  a  letter  from 
Aunt  Louisa^  (his  sister),  and  a  beautiful  bracelet 
with  her  hair  in  it ;  for  me  a  letter  from  Aunt  Louisa 
and  a  beautiful  bracelet  with  her  picture.  Prince 
Talleyrand,'  the  Duchess  de  Dino,*  the  Due  de 
Valengay  (her  son),  the  Marquess  and  Marchioness 
of  Lansdowne,"  the  Marquess  and  Marchioness  of 
Stafford,*^    the    Earl    and    Countess    of    Tankerville,^ 

^  The  Duke,  who  was  the  eldest  son  of  King  Louis  Philippe,  was 
born  at  Palermo  in  1810,  and  in  July  1842  was  thrown  from  his 
phaeton  near  the  Porte  Maillot  in  Paris,  and  died  on  the  spot.  His 
youth  and  popularity,  his  love  of  art  and  literature,  and  his  professional 
eflficiency  as  a  soldier  might,  had  he  lived,  have  served  to  give  the  events 
of  1848  a  different  turn.     He  was,  however,  a  Bourbon. 

2  Wife  of  Leopold,  King  of  the  Belgians. 

'  The  veteran  Prince  Talleyrand  (1754-1838),  once  Bishop  of  Autun, 
Republican,  Bonapartist,  Legitimist,  and  cynic  ;  everything  by  tiirns 
and  everything  remarkably  long.     See  p.  331,  and  Vol.  11.  p.  61. 

*  The  Duchesse  de  Dino  (Princesse  de  Sagan),  niece  of  Prince 
Talleyrand.     Her  own  memoirs  have  preserved  her  memory. 

5  Henry,  third  Marquess  of  Lansdowne  (1780-1863).  A  typical  and 
most  eminent  Whig.  He  twice  refused  to  be  Prime  Minister,  but  held 
office  in  every  Whig  Administration  from  1830  to  1868.  He  was 
Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  in  the  Ministry  of  "  All  the  Talents." 
He  was  a  fine  judge  of  art.  No  statesman  of  his  time  was  more 
universally  trusted. 

^  George  Granville  succeeded  his  father,  the  first  Duke  of  Sutherland 
(see  ante,  p.  68,  n.),  in  July  1833.  His  wife,  Harriet  Elizabeth 
Georgiana,  third  daughter  of  the  sixth  Earl  of  Carlisle,  was  the  first 
Mistress  of  the  Robes  selected  by  Queen  Victoria. 

7  Charles  Augustus  (1776-1859),  fifth  Earl  of  Tanker ville,  married 


1833]  DINNER    PARTY    FOR    THE    DUKE  78 

the  Earl  and  Countess  of  Scfton/  the  Earl  and  Coun- 
tess Grosvenor/  the  Earl  of  Liehfield,'  the  Earl  and 
Countess  Granville,*  Lord  Palmerston,"  Lord  Mor- 
peth/ Lord  Duncannon/  Lord  Ebrington,^  Mr. 
Van  de  Weyer,'  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stanley/'^  Mr.  Ellice/' 

Corisande,  daughter  of  Antoine,  Due  de  Gramont :  she  possessed 
great  charm  of  manner  and  a  fine  tiu-n  of  wit.  She  had  many  attached 
friends  of  both  sexes.     See  Vol.  II.  p.  221. 

1  WilHam  PhUip  (1772-1838),  second  Earl  of  Sefton,  married  Maria 
Margaret,  daughter  of  William,  sixth  Lord  Craven. 

'  See  ante,  p.  49. 

'  Thomas  William  (1795-1854),  second  Viscount  Anson,  had  been 
created  in  1831  Earl  of  Lichfield.  He  married  Louisa  Catherine, 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  Philips,  of  Slebech  Hall,  co.  Pembroke. 

*  First  Earl  Granville,  youngest  son  of  first  Marquess  of  Stafford 
(1773-1846),  Ambassador  to  St.  Petersburg  1804,  and  afterwards  for 
many  years  at  Paris.  He  married  the  daughter  of  the  fifth  Duke  of 
Devonshire. 

s  Lord  Palmerston,  born  1781,  died  Prime  Minister  1865.  Lord 
Palmerston  was  now  fifty-two  years  old.  In  years  to  come,  this  child 
of  thirteen  was  destined  to  overthrow  him,  when  at  the  height  of  his 
popularity,  to  receive  him  again  as  her  Prime  Minister,  and  to  turn  to 
him  in  the  great  crisis  of  her  life  twenty-eight  years  after  their  first 
meeting. 

^  See  ante,  p.  54. 

■^  John  William,  Lord  Duncannon.  A  Whig  placeman.  As  Earl  of 
Bessborough  (1846)  he  became  Lord  Lieutenant  of  Ireland,  and  died 
in  office  in  1847. 

8  Hugh,  Lord  Ebrington,  afterwards  second  Earl  Fortescue.  Lord 
Lieutenant  of  Ireland,  1839-41. 

9  Sylvain  Van  de  Weyer  (1802-74),  Belgian  Minister  at  the  Court 
of  St.  James's,  a  trusted  friend  of  King  Leopold  and  of  Queen  Victoria. 
He  had  been  a  prominent  leader  of  the  Revolution  in  Belgium,  1830, 
and  a  protagonist  of  the  separation  of  Belgium  and  Holland.  His  wit 
and  charming  personality  gave  him  a  prominent  place  in  London 
society.  He  married  the  daughter  of  Joshua  Bates,  senior  partner  in 
Barings. 

10  Edward  Geoffrey  Stanley  (1799-1869),  the  Rupert  of  debate,  at 
this  time  Secretary  for  the  Colonies,  afterwards  (as  Earl  of  Derby) 
three  times  Prime  Minister.  Mrs.  Stanley  was  Emma  Caroline, 
daughter  of  Edward,  first  Lord  Skelmersdale. 

"  Mr.  EUice  (1781-1863),  born  at  Montreal,  M.P.  for  Coventry  and 


74  TAGLIONI    AND    HER    DRESS  [^t.i3 

Mr.  Abercromby,^  the  Aide-de-Camp  in  Waiting 
on  H.R.H.  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  Mr.  Taylor,  Lady 
Charlotte  St.  Maur,  Lady  Conroy,  Sir  George  Anson, 
and  Sir  John.  At  about  8  I  went  with  Lehzen  away. 
The  band  of  the  Coldstream  Guards  played  at  dinner 
as  well  as  after  dinner,  as  it  had  the  preceding  night. 
At  20  minutes  after  9  Lehzen  and  I  went  into  the 
saloon.     We  met  Aunt  Sophia  there.  .   .   . 

Saturday,  11th  May. — At  a  J  to  7  we  dined.  Sir 
John  dined  here.  At  a  little  after  8  we  went  to  the 
Opera  with  Victoire,  Lehzen,  and  Charles.  We  came 
in  at  the  end  of  the  first  act  of  Medea.  Madame 
Pasta  sang,  and  acted  beautifully,  as  did  also  Rubini 
and  Donizelli.  The  ballet  was  excessively  pretty. 
It  is  called  Nathalie.  The  principal  dancers  were 
Mdlle.  Taglioni,  who  danced  and  acted  quite  beauti- 
fully !  !  She  looked  very  pretty.  Her  dress  was 
very  pretty.  It  was  a  sort  of  Swiss  dress  ;  she  first 
appeared  in  a  petticoat  of  brown  and  yellow,  with  a 
blue  and  white  apron,  a  body  of  black  velvet  orna- 
mented with  silver,  pointed  upwards  and  downwards, 
over  a  light  tucker  drawn  to  her  neck,  with  a  black 
ribbon  round  it,  a  pair  of  small  white  sleeves,  a  little 
Swiss  straw  hat,  with  long  plaits  of  her  hair  hanging 
down,  completed  her  first  dress.  Her  second  dress 
was  a  petticoat  of  scarlet  and  yellow  silk,  with  a 
white  apron,  the  same  body  and  sleeves,  with  a 
wreath  of  flowers  on  her  head.     Mdlles.  Therese  and 

Secretary  at  War.  He  had  been  a  very  successful  Government  Whip  ; 
nick-named  "  Bear  "  Ellice  from  his  connection  with  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company.     He  married  a  sister  of  Earl  Grey. 

1  James  Abercromby  (1776-1858),  son  of  the  gallant  Sir  Ralph 
Abercromby,  who  died  in  the  moment  of  victory  at  Alexandria  in  1801. 
At  this  time  M.P.  for  Edinburgh.  Became  Speaker  of  the  House  of 
Commons  in  1835,  and  was  created  Lord  Dunfermline  four  years 
later. 


1833]  BIRTHDAY    PRESENTS  75 

Fanny  Elsler ;  they  are  good  dancers,  but  have 
neither  grace  nor  hghtness.  Messrs.  Albert,  Coulon, 
and  Daumont.  In  the  middle  of  the  ballet  the 
Duke  of  Orleans  came  into  our  box  for  a  little 
while.  We  saw  most  of  the  ballet.  I  was  very  much 
amused.   .   .   . 

Friday,  2Uh  May. — To-day  is  my  birthday.  I 
am  to-day  fourteen  years  old  !  How  very  old  I !  I 
awoke  at  J  past  5  and  got  up  at  J  past  7.  I  received 
from  Mamma  a  lovely  hyacinth  brooch  and  a  china 
pen  tray.  From  Uncle  Leopold  a  very  kind  letter, 
also  one  from  Aunt  Louisa  and  sister  Feodora.  I 
gave  Mamma  a  little  ring.  From  Lehzen  I  got  a 
pretty  little  china  figure,  and  a  lovely  little  china 
basket.  I  gave  her  a  golden  chain  and  Mamma  gave 
her  a  pair  of  earrings  to  match.  From  my  maids, 
Frances  and  Caroline,  I  also  got  little  trifles  of  their 
own  work.  At  J  past  8  we  breakfasted.  After 
breakfast  we  went  into  the  room  where  my  table  was 
arranged.  Mamma  gave  me  a  lovely  bag  of  her  own 
work,  a  beautiful  bracelet,  two  lovely  f^ronieres,  one 
of  pink  topaz,  the  other  turquoises  ;  two  dresses, 
some  prints,  some  books,  some  handkerchiefs,  and 
an  apron.  From  Lehzen,  a  beautiful  print  of  the 
Russell  Trial.  From  Spath,^  a  glass  and  plate  of 
Bohemian  glass.  From  Sir  Robert  Gardiner,''  a 
china  plate  with  fruit.  From  Victoria  and  Emily 
Gardiner,  two  screens  and  a  drawing  done  by  them. 
From  the  Dean,  some  books.  My  brother  Charles's 
present  was  not  ready.  At  about  J  past  10  came 
Sir  John  and  his  three  sons.    From  Sir  John  I  received 

^  The  Baroness  Spath,  Lewiy-in- Waiting  to  the  Duchess  of  Kent. 

2  General  Sir  Robert  Gardiner  was  Principal  Equerry  to  Prince 
Leopold  of  Saxe-Coburg  at  his  marriage  with  Princess  Charlotte.  In 
later  life  he  was  Governor  and  Conunander-in-Chief  at  Gibraltar. 


76  MORE    BIRTHDAY    PRESENTS  [jet.u 

a  very  pretty  picture  of  Dash,  very  like,  the  size  of 
life.  From  Jane,  Victoire,  Edward,  Stephen,  and 
Henry,  a  very  pretty  enamel  watch-chain.  From 
Lady  Conroy  a  sandalwood  pincushion  and  needle- 
case.  From  Victoire  alone,  a  pair  of  enamel  ear- 
rings. The  Duchess  of  Gordon  sent  me  a  lovely 
little  crown  of  precious  stones,  which  plays  "  God 
save  the  King,"  and  a  china  basket.  At  12  came 
the  Duchess  of  Northumberland  (who  gave  me  an 
ivory  basket  filled  with  the  work  of  her  nieces).  Lady 
Charlotte  St.  Maur  a  beautiful  album  with  a  painting 
on  it ;  Lady  Catherine  Jenkinson  a  pretty  night- 
lamp.  Lady  Cust,  a  tray  of  Staffordshire  china. 
Sir  Frederick  Wetherall,  two  china  vases  from  Paris. 
Doctor  Maton,^  a  small  cedar  basket.  Lady  Conroy, 
Jane,  Victoire,  Sir  George  Anson,  Sir  John,  and  the 
Dean  came  also.  Lady  Conroy  brought  Bijou  (her 
little  dog)  with  her,  and  she  gave  me  a  little  sweet 
smelling  box.  They  stayed  till  J  past  12.  Victoire 
remained  with  us.  I  gave  her  a  portrait  of  Isabel, 
her  horse.  At  1  we  lunched.  Victoire  stayed  till 
J  past  2.  At  J  past  2  came  the  Royal  Family.  The 
Queen  gave  me  a  pair  of  diamond  earrings  from  the 
King.  She  gave  me  herself  a  brooch  of  turquoises 
and  gold  in  the  form  of  a  bow.  Aunt  Augusta  gave 
me  a  box  of  sandal-wood.  From  Aunt  Gloucester, 
Aunt  Sophia,  and  Uncle  Sussex,  a  feroniere  of  pearls. 
From  Aunt  Sophia  alone,  a  bag  worked  by  herself. 
From  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  a  gold  inkstand.  From 
the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Cumberland,  a  bracelet  of 
turquoise  ;  and  the  Duchess  brought  me  a  turquoise 
pin  from  my  cousin  George  Cumberland.  From 
Princess  Sophia  Mathilda,  a  blue  topaz  watch-hook. 

^  William  George  Maton,   M.D.,   Physician  Extraordinary  to  the 
Duchess  of  Kent  and  Princess  Victoria. 


1833]  A    BIRTHDAY    BALL  77 

From  George  Cambridge,'  a  brooch  in  the  shape  of  a 
lily  of  the  valley.  Lady  Mayo,^  who  was  in  waiting 
on  the  Queen,  gave  me  a  glass  bottle.  They  stayed 
till  J  past  3  and  then  went  away.  I  had  seen  in  the 
course  of  the  day,  Sarah,  my  former  maid,  and  Mrs. 
Brock.  Ladies  Emma  and  Georgiana  Herbert'  sent 
me  a  sachet  for  handkerchiefs  worked  by  themselves. 
Ladies  Sarah  and  Clementina  Villiers  *  sent  me  some 
flowers  as  combs  and  a  brooch.  Mr.  CoUen  sent  me 
a  little  painting  for  my  album.  At  a  J  to  6  we  dined. 
At  J  past  7  we  went  with  Charles,  the  Duchess  of 
Northumberland,  Lady  Catherine  Jenkinson,  Lehzen, 
Sir  George  Anson,  and  Sir  John,  to  a  Juvenile 
Ball  that  was  given  in  honovir  of  my  birthday  at 
St.  James's  by  the  King  and  Queen.  We  went 
into  the  Closet.  Soon  after,  the  doors  were  opened, 
and  the  King  leading  me  went  into  the  ball-room. 
Madame  Bourdin  was  there  as  dancing-mistress. 
Victoire  was  also  there,  as  well  as  many  other  children 
whom  I  knew.  Dancing  began  soon  after.  I  danced 
first  with  my  cousin  George  Cambridge,  then  with 
Prince  George  Lieven,*  then  with  Lord  Brook,^  then 

*  George  (1819-1904),  afterwards  Duke  of  Cambridge  and  Com- 
mander-in-Chief. He  was  two  months  older  than  the  Princess,  so 
that  he  was  now  fourteen  years  old. 

^  Arabella,  wife  of  the  fourth  Earl,  a  Lady-in-waiting  to  Queen 
Adelaide.     She  was  a  Miss  Mackworth  Praed. 

3  Daughters  of  the  eleventh  Earl  of  Pembroke.  Lady  Emma 
afterwards  married  the  third  Viscount  de  Vesci,  and  Lady  Georgiana 
the  fourth  Marquess  of  Lansdowne. 

*  Daughters  of  the  fifth  Earl  of  Jersey.  Lady  Sarah  afterwards 
married  Prince  Nicholas  Esterhazy  (see  p.  190),  eldest  son  of  the  famous 
diplomatist.     Lady  Clementina  died  unmarried  in  1858. 

^  Younger  son  of  Prince  and  Princess  de  Lieven.  The  Prince  had 
been  for  over  twenty  years  Russian  Minister  or  Ambassador  in  London  ; 
the  Princess  was  the  inveterate  correspondent  of  Earl  Grey. 

"  George  Guy,  afterwards  fourth  Earl  of  Warwick,  and  an  A.D.C. 
to  Queen  Victoria.    Died  1893.     At  this  time  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age. 


78  THE   WURTEMBERG    PRINCES  [^t.i4 

Lord  March/  then  with  Lord  Athlone,'  then  with 
Lord  Fitzroy  Lennox,'  then  with  Lord  Emlyn.* 
We  then  went  to  supper.  It  was  J  past  11  ;  the 
King  leading  me  again.  I  sat  between  the  King  and 
Queen.  We  left  supper  soon.  My  health  was  drunk. 
I  then  danced  one  more  quadrille  with  Lord  Paget. 
I  danced  in  all  8  quadrilles.  We  came  home  at 
I  past  12.     I  was  very  much  amused.   .   .   . 

Sunday,  16th  June. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up  at 
J  past  7.  At  a  J  to  9  we  breakfasted.  At  10  we 
went  to  prayers.  At  10  came  Victoire  and  went  to 
prayers  with  us.  The  service  was  performed  by 
Mr.  Pittman,  as  the  poor  Dean  had  the  misfortune 
to  lose  his  little  girl  Charlotte,  of  the  scarlet  fever, 
which  I  was  very  sorry  for.  Mr.  Pittman  gave  us  a 
beautiful  sermon.  It  was  taken  from  the  11th 
chapter  of  the  Gospel  of  St.  Luke,  1st  verse.  At 
1  we  lunched.  Victoire  stayed  till  |  past  2.  At 
3  arrived  my  two  cousins.  Princes  Alexander  and 
Ernst  Wiirtemberg,  sons  of  Mamma's  sister,  my 
Aunt  Antoinette."  They  are  both  extremely  tall. 
Alexander  is  very  handsome  and  Ernst  has  a  very 
kind  expression.     They  are  both  extremely  amiable. 

1  Charles  Henry,  Earl  of  March,  afterwards  sixth  Duke  of  Richmond 
and  first  Duke  of  Gordon  of  a  new  creation.  He  held  several  high  offices 
in  Conservative  Administrations,  being  Lord  President  of  the  Council 
1874-80,  and  Secretary  for  Scotland  1885-6.  He,  like  Lord  Brooke,  was 
about  fifteen  at  this  time ;  and  was  at  Westminster  School.  In  after- 
years  the  Queen  relied  much  upon  his  excellent  political  judgment. 

2  George,  eighth  Earl  of  Athlone  (1820-43).  The  first  Earl  was 
Godert  de  Ginkell,  the  well-known  General  of  William  III. 

3  A  yoiinger  brother  of  Lord  March  ;  drowned  in  the  President 
steamer  in  1841.     He  was  at  this  time  thirteen  years  old. 

*  John  Frederick,  afterwards  M.P.  for  Pembrokeshire  and  second 
Earl  Cawdor. 

^  Their  father  was  Alexander,  Duke  of  Wiirtemberg.  Prince 
Alexander  afterwards  married  Princess  Marie,  daughter  of  King  Louis 
Philippe  ;   she  died  in  1839,  less  than  two  years  after  their  marriage. 


1833]  PAGANINI    AND    MALIBRAN  79 

At  4  we  went  out  driving  in  the  open  carriage.  We 
paid  a  visit  to  Aunt  Gloucester,  and  then  drove  home 
through  the  park.  We  came  home  at  a  J  to  6.  At 
a  J  past  7  we  dined.  Besides  Alexander,  Ernst  and 
Charles,  Prince  Reuss  ^  and  Sir  John  dined  here.  .  .  . 
Thursday,  27th  June. — At  J  past  9  we  went  to 
the  Exhibition  of  the  water-colours,  with  Alexander 
and  Lehzen  in  our  carriage,  and  Sir  John  in  another. 
We  met  the  Duchess  of  Northumberland  there.  It 
is  a  VERY  FINE  exhibition.  From  there  we  went  to 
the  British  Gallery,  where  the  works  of  Sir  Joshua 
Reynolds,  West,  and  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence  are 
exhibiting.  We  came  home  at  J  past  11.  At  1  we 
lunched.  At  2  came  Lady  Stafford  with  her  two  little 
girls,  Elizabeth  ^  and  Evelyn,^  and  Lady  Caroline  * 
with  her  little  Georgiana.  All  beautiful  children. 
At  h  past  4  we  drove  out  in  the  park,  and  walked 
home  through  the  gardens.  We  came  home  at  J  past 
5.  At  7  we  all  dined.  Sir  John  dined  here.  At  a 
little  after  9  we  went,  with  Alexander  and  Lehzen  in 
our  carriage,  and  Ernst,  Charles  and  Sir  John  in 
another  carriage  following,  to  the  Opera.  We  came 
in  at  the  beginning  of  the  2nd  act  of  Norma,  in 
which  Madame  Pasta  sung  beautifully.  After  that 
Signor  Paganini  played  by  himself  some  variations, 
most  WONDERFULLY ;  he  is  himself  a  curiosity. 
After  that  was  given  the  last  act  of  Otello  ;  Des- 
demona,   Madame   Malibran,^   who   sang   and   acted 

^  A  cousin  of  the  Princess  Victoria  and  of  Princes  Alexander  and 
Ernst,  the  mother  of  the  Duchess  of  Kent,  having  been  a  Princess 
of  Reuss-Ebersdorff. 

2  Afterwards  Duchess  of  Argyll. 

3  Afterwards  Lady  Blantyre. 

*  Lady  Caroline  Lascelles,  and  her  daughter,  afterwards  Mrs.  Grenfell. 
'^  Madame    Malibran   was    now    about    twenty-five   years    of    age. 
See  post,  p.  168. 


80  JOURNEY   TO    PORTSMOUTH  t^T.i 

BEAUTIFULLY.  After  that  was  performed  La 
Sylphide  ;  Taglioni  danced  beautifully  and 
looked  lovely.  Fanny  Elsler  danced  also  very  well. 
We  saw  the  whole  of  the  1st  act  and  half  of  the  second. 
It  was  Laporte's  benefit.  I  was  very  much  amused. 
We  came  home  at  J  past  1.  I  was  soon  in  bed  and 
asleep.   .   .   . 

Monday,  1st  July. — I  awoke  at  J  past  4  and  got 
up  at  a  J  past  5.  At  a  J  past  6  we  all  breakfasted. 
At  7  o'clock  we  left  Kensington  Palace,  Sir  John 
going  in  a  post-chaise  before  us,  then  our  post-chaise, 
then  Lehzen's  landau,  then  my  Cousins'  carriage, 
then  Charles's,  then  Lady  Conroy's,  and  then  our 
maids'.  It  is  a  lovely  morning.  5  minutes  past  8 
— we  have  just  changed  horses  at  Esher.  Lynedoch 
Gardiner  ^  brought  us  a  basket  full  of  beautiful  flowers. 
10  o'clock  ;  we  have  just  changed  horses  at  Guildford. 
Poor  dear  little  Dashy  could  not  go  with  us  as  he 
was  not  quite  well,  so  he  is  gone  with  Mason  with  the 
horses.  4  minutes  past  1  ;  we  have  just  left  Lip- 
hook  where  we  took  our  luncheon.  5  minutes  to  2, 
we  have  just  changed  horses  at  Petersfield.  5  minutes 
to  3,  we  have  just  changed  horses  at  Horndean.  At 
4  we  arrived  at  Portsmouth.  The  streets  were  lined 
with  soldiers,  and  Sir  Colin  Campbell^  rode  by  the 
carriage.  Sir  Thomas  Williams,^  the  Admiral,  took 
us  in  his  barge,   on  board  the  dear  Emerald.     The 

1  Henry  Lynedoch  Gardiner,  son  of  General  Sir  Robert  Gardiner. 
He  was  afterwards  Equerry  in  Ordinary  to  Queen  Victoria. 

2  Sir  Colin  Campbell  (1792-1863),  afterwards  F.-M.  Lord  Clyde, 
Commander-in-Chief  in  India.  He  saw  more  active  service  than  any 
British  Field-Marshal  before  or  since.  No  soldier  was  ever  braver, 
more  merciful,  and  more  modest. 

^  Admiral  Williams  had  rendered  valuable  services  in  conjunction 
with  the  army  in  the  Low  Counties,  1794-5  ;  he  was  knighted  in  1796, 
and  became  G.C.B.  in  1831. 


1833]  AT    NORRIS    CASTLE  81 

Admiral  presented  some  of  the  officers  to  us.  We 
stayed  about  h  an  hour  waiting  for  the  baggage  to  be 
put  on  board  the  steamer,  which  was  to  tow  us.  We 
then  set  off  and  arrived  at  Cowes  at  about  7.  We 
were  most  civilly  received.  Cowes  Castle,  the  yacht- 
club,  yachts,  &c.,  &c.,  saluting  us.  We  saw  Lord 
Durham  ^  who  is  staying  at  Cowes.  We  drove  up  in 
a  fly  to  Norris  Castle,  where  we  lodged  two  years  ago, 
and  where  we  are  again  living.  My  cousins  and  my 
brother  were  delighted  with  it.  At  about  J  past  7 
we  all  dined.  Lady  Conroy  and  her  family  went 
to  their  cottage  after  dinner.   .   .   . 

Monday,  8th  July. — At  about  10  we  went  on  board 
the  Emerald  with  Alexander,  Ernst,  Lady  Charlotte, 
Lady  Conroy,  Jane,  Victoire,  Sir  John  and  Henry. 
We  were  towed  up  to  Southampton  by  the  Medina 
steam-packet.  It  rained  several  times  very  hard, 
and  we  were  obliged  to  go  down  into  the  cabin  very 
often.  When  we  arrived  at  Southampton,  Mamma 
received  an  address  on  board  from  the  Corporation. 
We  then  got  into  the  barge  and  rowed  up  to  the  new 
pier.  The  crowd  was  tremendous.  We  went  into  a 
tent  erected  on  the  pier,  and  I  was  very  much  fright- 
ened for  fear  my  cousins  and  the  rest  of  our  party 
should  get  knocked  about  ;  however  they  at  last 
got  in.  We  then  got  into  our  barge  and  went  on 
board  the  Emerald  where  we  took  our  luncheon.     We 

1  John  George  Lambton  (1792-1840),  the  first  Baron  (and  afterwards 
first  Earl  of)  Durham,  son-in-law  of  Lord  Grey,  had  been  Ambassador 
to  St.  Petersbm-g,  and  was  now  Lord  Privy  Seal.  Lord  Melbourne 
sent  him  subsequently  to  Canada  at  a  critical  juncture  in  the  history 
of  British  North  America.  The  Ministry  afterwards  recalled  him,  but 
the  report  which  he  presented  on  Canadian  affairs  is  regarded  as 
having  laid  the  foundations  of  all  colonial  self-government.  He  was 
a  statesman  of  noble,  unstained  character ;  but  his  high-strxing 
temperament  made  Ufe  difficult  both  for  him  and  his  colleagues. 
1—7 


82       ALEXANDER  OF  WURTEMBERG     [^t.i4 

stayed  a  little  while  to  see  the  regatta,  which  was 
going  on,  and  then  sailed  home.  It  was  a  very  wet 
afternoon.  We  came  home  at  J  past  5.  At  7  we 
dined.  Lady  Conroy,  Jane,  Victoire,  Sir  John,  and 
Henry  dined  here.   .   .   . 

Friday,  12th  July. — I  awoke  at  6  and  got  up  at 
I  past  6.  At  7  we  breakfasted.  It  was  a  sad  break- 
fast, for  us  indeed,  as  my  dear  cousins  were  going  so 
soon.  At  about  a  J  to  8  we  walked  down  our  pier 
with  them  and  there  took  leave  of  them,  which  made 
us  both  VERY  UNHAPPY.  We  saw  them  get  into  the 
barge,  and  watched  them  sailing  away  for  some  time 
on  the  beach.  They  were  so  amiable  and  so  pleasant 
to  have  in  the  house  ;  they  were  always  satisfied, 
always  good  humoured  ;  Alexander  took  such  care  of 
me  in  getting  out  of  the  boat,  and  rode  next  to  me  ; 
so  did  Ernst.  They  talked  about  such  interesting 
things,  about  their  Turkish  Campaign,  about  Russia, 
&c.,  &c.  We  shall  miss  them  at  breakfast,  at  luncheon, 
at  dinner,  riding,  sailing,  driving,  walking,  in  fact 
everywhere. 

About  two  hours  after  my  cousins  had  gone. 
Mamma  received  the  distressing  news  that  my 
cousins'  father,  the  Duke  Alexander  of  Wiirtemberg,' 
who  had  been  ill  for  some  time,  was  dead.  I  was 
extremely  sorry  for  them.  Mamma  immediately 
dispatched  an  estafette  after  them  to  Dover  with  the 
news.  At  1  we  lunched.  It  was  a  dull  luncheon. 
At  4  we  went  out  riding  with  Lady  Charlotte,  Lady 
Conroy,  Jane,  Victoire,  Sir  John  and  Henry. 
Victoire  rode  Alice,  and  Lehzen  Isabel.  The  ride 
would  have  appeared  to  me  much  pleasanter  had 
Alexander  and  Ernst  been  there.  We  came  home 
at  6.     We  heard  from  a  servant  of  ours,  who  had 

*  He  was  sixty-two  years  of  age.     See  ante,  p.  78. 


1833J  VISIT    TO    THE    "VICTORY"  88 

crossed  over  with  them  to  Portsmouth,  that  they  had 
had  a  very  quick  and  good  passage  and  that  they  had 
not  been  at  all  sick.  At  7  we  dined.  Lady  Conroy, 
Jane,  Victoire,  Sir  John,  Edward,  and  Henry  dined 
here.     Here  again  they  were  missing.    .    .   . 

Thursday y  ISth  July. — At  a  J  to  10  we  went  on 
board  the  Emerald  with  Lady  Charlotte,  Lady  Conroy, 
Jane,  Victoire,  Lehzen,  and  Sir  John,  and  were  towed 
by  the  Messenger    steam-packet  up  to  Portsmouth. 
We  then  got  into  the  Admiral's  barge,  and  landed  in 
the   docks.     We   then   saw   from    an    elevation,   the 
launch  of  the  Racer,  a  sloop  of  war.     We  then  re- 
entered the  Admiral's  barge  and  went  to  the  Victory, 
his  flag-ship.     We  there  received  the  salute  on  board. 
We  saw  the  spot  where  Nelson  fell,   and  which  is 
covered  up   with  a  brazen  plate  and  his  motto  is 
inscribed  on  it,  "  Every  Englishman  is  expected  to 
do  his  duty."     We  went  down  as  low  as  the  tanks, 
and  there  tasted  the  water  which  had  been  in  there 
for  two  years,   and   which   was   excellent.     We  also 
saw  the  place  where  Nelson  died.     The  whole  ship 
is  remarkable  for  its  neatness  and  order.     We  tasted 
some  of  the   men's  beef  and  potatoes,   which   were 
excellent,    and   likewise   some   grog.     The   company 
consisted  of  Lady  Williams,  the  Admiral's  lady.  Sir 
Graham   and  Lady  Moore,^  Mr.    and  Mrs.   Ricardo, 
Sir   Frederick   and   Lady  Maitland,'    etc.,    etc.     We 
then  partook  of  a  luncheon  at  the  Admiral's  House 
and  then  returned  on  board  the  Emerald.     We  got 
home   by   5.     We   both   wished   so   much   that   dear 

1  Vice-Admiral  Sir  Graham  Moore  (1764-1843),  G.C.M.G.,  after- 
wards C!ommander-in-Chief  at  Plymouth.  He  had  been  ordered  in 
1807-8  to  escort  the  Royal  Family  of  Portugal  to  Brazil  ;  he  married 
Dora,  daughter  of  Thomas  Eden. 

2  Rear- Admiral  Sir  Frederick  Lewis  Maitland  (1776-1839).  He 
commanded  the  Bellcrophon  when  Napoleon  surrendered  after  Waterloo. 


84  ACCIDENT    TO    THE    "EMERALD"  [jet.u 

Alexander  and  dear  Ernest  had  been  there,  I  think 
it  would  have  amused  them.   .  .   . 

Friday,  2nd  August. — I  awoke  at  about  a  J  to  6 
and  got  up  at  J  past  7.  At  J  past  8  we  all  break- 
fasted. We  then  saw  several  ladies  and  gentlemen. 
At  about  J  past  9  we  went  on  board  the  dear  little 
Emerald.  We  were  to  be  towed  up  to  Plymouth. 
Mamma  and  Lehzen  were  very  sick,  and  I  was  sick  for 
about  J  an  hour.  At  1  I  had  a  hot  mutton  chop  on 
deck.  We  passed  Dartmouth.  At  about  4  we  ap- 
proached Plymouth  Harbour.  It  is  a  magnificent 
place  and  the  breakwater  is  wonderful  indeed.  You 
pass  Mount  Edgecumbe,  the  seat  of  Lord  Mount 
Edgecumbe.^  It  is  beautifully  situated.  The  Ad- 
miral, Sir  William  Hargood,^  Captain  Falkland  his 
flag-captain,  and  Mr.  Yorke^  came  on  board.  Captain 
Brown,  who  is  on  board  the  Caledonia,  and  Captain 
Macay,  on  board  the  Revenge,  also  came  on  board. 
As  we  entered  the  harbour,  our  dear  little  Emerald 
ran  foul  of  a  hulk,  her  mast  broke  and  we  were  in  the 
greatest  danger.  Thank  God  !  the  mast  did  not  fall 
and  no  one  was  hurt.  But  I  was  dreadfully  frightened 
for  Mamma  and  for  all.  The  poor  dear  Emerald  is 
very  much  hurt  I  fear.  Saunders  was  not  at  all  in 
fault ;  he  saved  us  by  pulling  the  rope  which  fixed 
us  to  the  steamer.  We  arrived  at  Plvmouth  at  5. 
It  is  a  beautiful  town  and  we  were  very  well  received. 
Sweet  Dash  was  under  Saunders's  arm  the  whole  time, 
but  he  never  let  him  drop  in  all  the  danger.  At  7 
we  dined.  The  hotel  is  very  fine  indeed.  After 
dinner   Sir  John   saw   Saunders,   who  said   that  the 

1  Richard  (1764—1839),  second  Earl,  Lord  Lieutenant  of  Cornwall. 

^  Sir  William  Hargood  had  commanded  the  Belleisle  under  Nelson 
at  Trafalgar,  becoming  an  Admiral  and  G.C.B.  in  1831. 

^  Captain  Charles  Philip  Yorke,  R.N.,  then  M.P.  for  Cambs.,  after- 
wards fourth  Earl  of  Hardwicke. 


1833]  VISIT    TO    PLYMOUTH  85 

mast  of  the  Emerald  was  broken  in  two  places,  and 
that  we  had  had  the  narrowest  escape  possible  ;  but 
that  she  would  be  repaired  and  ready  for  us  to  go 
back  in  her  on  Tuesday. 

Saturday,    Srd   August. — At    10    came    Sir    John 
Cameron,^  the  Governor,  and  his  officers.     At  J  past 

10  came  Sir  William  Hargood  and  his  officers  and 
captains.  Soon  after  came  Lord  Hill,  who  is  over 
here  to  inspect  the  troops,  and  Sir  John  Macdonald,' 
Sir  Richard  Jackson,  and  Captain  Hill.     At  J  past 

11  Mamma  received  an  address  from  the  Mayor  and 
Corporation  of  Plymouth,  downstairs  in  a  large  room 
full  of  people.  At  12  we  went  with  all  our  own 
party  to  a  review  of  the  89th,  the  22nd,  and  the 
84th  regiments.  Mamma  made  a  speech,  and  I  then 
gave  the  colours  to  the  89th  regiment.  The  names 
of  the  two  Ensigns  to  whom  I  gave  the  colours  are 
Miles  and  Egerton.  We  then  saw  them  march  by  in 
line.  We  then  went  to  the  Admiral's  house  where 
we  had  our  luncheon,  and  then  proceeded  to  the 
docks.  We  went  in  the  Admiral's  barge  on  board 
the  Admiral's  flag-ship,  the  St.  Joseph,  taken  by 
Lord  Nelson  from  the  Spanish,  in  the  battle  of  St. 
Vincent.  We  received  a  salute  on  board.  She  is 
a  magnificent  vessel  of  120  guns.  We  saw  her  lower 
decks  and  cabins,  which  are  extremely  light,  airy, 
roomy  and  clean.  We  then  returned  in  the  Admiral's 
barge,  rowed  round  the  Caledonia  120  guns,  and  the 
Revenge  76  guns.  We  landed  at  the  Dockyard  and 
went  home.     At  7  we  dined.   .   .  . 

End   of   my   third   Journal-book.     Norris   Castle, 
August  11th,  1833.   .   .   . 

^  Sir  John  Cameron  had  had  a  distinguished  record  in  the  Peninsula. 
From  1823  to  1833  he  commanded  the  Western  District. 
2  Adjutant-General,  1830-50. 
1—7* 


86  THE    QUEEN    OF    PORTUGAL  [mt.u 

Monday,  16th  September. — At  10  we  went  on  board 
the  Emerald  with  Lady  Catherine,  Lady  Conroy, 
Jane,  Lehzen,  Victoire,  and  Sir  John,  and  sailed  to 
Portsmouth,  where  we  were  going  to  pay  a  visit  to 
their  Majesties  the  Queen  of  Portugal  ^  and  the 
Duchess  of  Braganza  (her  step-mother).  We  got 
there  at  J  past  11.  We  entered  the  Admiral's  barge 
with  Lady  Catherine,  Lady  Conroy,  Lehzen,  and  Sir 
John,  and  were  rowed  ashore.  We  landed  at  the 
stairs  in  the  dockyard.  Mamma  and  I  got  into  a 
close  carriage,  and  our  ladies  followed  in  an  open 
carriage.  The  whole  way  from  the  dock-yard  to 
the  Admiral's  house,  where  their  Majesties  reside,  was 
lined  with  troops  and  various  bands  were  placed  at 
different  distances.  We  were  received  at  the  door 
by  the  gentlemen  and  ladies  of  the  court.  Inside  the 
hall  we  were  met  by  the  Queen  and  the  Duchess. 
The  Queen  led  Mamma,  and  the  Duchess  followed 
leading  me  into  the  room.  The  Queen  was  in  Eng- 
land 4  years  ago  ;  she  is  only  a  month  older  than  I 
am  and  is  very  kind  to  me.  She  was  then  already 
very  tall  for  her  age,  but  had  a  very  beautiful  figure  ; 
she  is  grown  very  tall  but  also  very  stout.  She  has 
a  beautiful  complexion,  and  is  very  sweet  and  friendly. 
She  wore  her  hair  in  two  large  curls  in  front  and  a 
thick  fine  plait  turned  up  behind.     The  Empress  (or 

^  Donna  Maria  da  Gloria,  then  aged  about  fourteen.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Dom  Pedro,  who  had  been  proclaimed  Emperor  of  Brazil 
in  the  lifetime  of  his  father,  John  VT.,  and  abdicated  the  throne  of 
Portugal  in  favour  of  Donna  Maria.  Dom  Miguel,  a  younger  brother  of 
Pedro,  claimed  the  throne.  Pedro  had  designed  a  marriage  between 
Donna  Maria  and  Miguel,  who  in  1827  had  been  appointed  Regent, 
but,  having  been  himself  driven  from  Brazil  by  a  revolution,  Pedro 
endeavoured  to  gain  the  throne  decisively  for  his  daughter.  His  second 
wife,  now  known  as  Duchess  of  Braganza,  was  sister  to  Augustus,  ,Duke 
of  Leuchtenberg,  who  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  had  married  Donna 
Maria,  then  barely  sixteen,  and  died  two  montlis  later.     See  p.  110. 


1833]  SPANISH    AFFAIRS  87 

Duchess  as  she  is  now  called)  was  never  before  in 
England.  She  is  only  21  and  is  very  pleasing.  She 
has  beautiful  blue  eyes,  and  has  a  fine  tall  figure. 
She  has  black  hair  and  wore  ringlets  in  front  and  a 
plait  behind.  She  was  simply  dressed  in  a  grey 
watered  moire  trimmed  with  blonde.  Their  Ma- 
jesties arrived  at  Portsmouth  from  Havre  on  the 
morning  of  the  8th  of  September  ;  and  proceeded  to 
Windsor  on  the  10th,  on  a  visit  to  the  King  and 
Queen,  from  whence  they  returned  last  Saturday, 
and  they  intend  leaving  Portsmouth  to-day  at  2 
o'clock  for  Lisbon.  The  Queen  and  Duchess  having 
desired  us  to  sit  down,  talked  some  time  with 
us.  The  Duchess  then  went  and  fetched  her  little 
girl,  a  child  of  21  months  old.  We  soon  after  went, 
the  Queen  leading  Mamma  and  the  Duchess  me  in 
the  same  manner  as  before.  We  returned  in  the 
same  way.  We  lunched  on  board  the  Emerald  and 
then  were  towed  by  the  Messenger  home.  We  came 
home  at  3.   .   .   . 

Monday,  lUh  October. —  .  .  .  Ferdinand  the  7th  of 
Spain  '  died  on  the  29th  of  September,  and  his  young 
and  lovely  Queen  Christina  instantly  became  Regent 
for  the  infant  Queen  Isabella  the  2nd,  her  daughter, 
and  who  is  only  3  years  old.  The  Queen  has  a 
powerful  enemy  in  Don  Carlos  and  his  wife,  but  she 
is  very  courageous  and  very  clever.  It  is  a  singular 
coincidence  that  there  should  be  a  young  Queen  in 
Spain  as  well  as  in  Portugal.  At  7  we  4  dined.  I 
stayed  up  till  9.   .   .   . 

^  The  death  of  Ferdinand  without  male  issue  caused  a  disputed 
succession  in  Spain.  His  brother  Don  Carlos  relied  on  the  Salic  Law 
as  established  by  the  Pragmatic  Sanction  of  1711,  which  Ferdinand 
had  revoked.  Don  Carlos  and  Dom  Miguel  subsequently  entered  into 
an  alliance,  while  the  young  Queens  Maria  and  Isabella  mutually 
recognised  each  other,  and  were  supported  by  England  and  France. 


88  PLAYS    AND    PLAYERS  i^t.i4 

Monday^  9th  December.— At  5  we  dined.  Sir 
John  dined  here.  At  |  past  6  we  went  to  the  play- 
to  Drury  Lane  with  Lady  Conroy,  Lehzen,  and  Sir 
John.  It  was  Shakespear's  tragedy  of  King  John. 
The  principal  characters  were  :  King  John,  Mr. 
Macready,*  who  acted  beautifully ;  Prince  Arthur, 
Miss  Poole,  who  acted  delightfully  ;  Hubert,  Mr. 
Bennett  who  acted  well ;  Faulconbridge,  Mr.  Cooper, 
who  also  acted  well ;  Philip  King  of  France,  Mr. 
Diddear  ;  Louis  the  Dauphin,  Mr.  Brendal ;  Arch- 
duke of  Austria,  Mr.  Thompson  ;  Queen  Elinor, 
Mrs.  Faucit '  ;  the  Lady  Constance,  Mrs.  Sloman  ; 
Blanche  of  Castile,  Miss  Murray.  The  second  piece 
was  the  melo-drama  of  The  Innkeepers  Daughter, 
which  is  very  horrible  but  extremely  interesting,  but 
it  would  take  me  too  much  time  to  relate  the  story 
of  it.  The  characters  were  :  Richard,  Mr.  Cooper, 
who  acted  very  well ;  Frankland,  Mr.  Ayliffe  ;  Monk- 
ton,  Mr.  Thompson  ;  Langley,  Mr.  Tayleure  ;  Harrop, 
Mr.  Webster,'  who  looked  horrid  but  acted  well ;  he 
was  one  of  the  leading  characters  in  the  play  ;  Ed- 
ward Harrop,  Mr.  Richardson  ;  Wentworth,  Mr. 
Baker;  Hans  Ketzler,  Mr.  T.  P.  Cooke,  who  acted 
very  well ;  Tricksey,  Mr.  Hughes  ;  William,  Mr. 
Howell  ;  White,  Mr.  East  ;  Smith,  Mr.  Henry  ; 
Allsop,  Mr.  S.  Jones  ;  Mary,  Miss  Kelly,*  who  acted 
quite  beautifully  ;  she  is  quite  mature.  Marian,  Mrs. 
Broad.     We  came  to  the  very  beginning  and  stayed 

^  William  Charles  Macready  (1793-1851),  afterwards  successively 
manager  of  Co  vent  Garden  and  Drury  Lane  Theatres. 

^  An  actress,  and  mother  of  Helen  Faucit. 

'  Benjamin  Webster,  an  excellent  and  humorous  comedian  from 
about  1819  to  1874. 

*  Frances  Maria  Kelly  (1790-1882),  for  many  years  a  popular 
favourite  at  Drury  Lane,  and  a  friend  of  Charles  and  Mary 
Lamb. 


1833]  A    LECTURE    ON    PHYSICS  89 

to  the  very  end.     We  came  home  at  10  minutes  past 

12.       I  was  VERY  MUCH  AMUSED.  .    .    . 

Thursday^  26th  December. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got 
up  at  8.  At  9  we  breakfasted.  At  1  we  lunched. 
At  J  past  2  came  Captain  Burnes  who  has  lately- 
travelled  over  Northern  East  India.  He  gave  us 
some  very  interesting  accounts.  He  likewise  brought 
with  him  to  show  us,  his  servant,  a  native  of  Cabul, 
dressed  in  his  native  dress.  He  is  called  Gulam 
Hussein  ;  is  of  a  dark  olive  complexion  and  had  a 
dress  of  real  Cashmere  made  in  the  beautiful  valley 
of  Cashmere. 

Friday,  27th  December. — At  \  past  2  came  Mr.  T. 
Griffiths  to  lecture  on  Physics.  The  plan  of  the 
lecture  was  :  Introductory — Objects  of  Alchymy, 
viz.  Transmutation  of  Metals,  the  Elixir  of  Life,  and 
the  Universal  Solvent ; — Objects  of  Chemistry,  viz. 
the  investigation  of  every  substance  in  nature — 
Chemistry  a  science  of  experiment — Results  of 
chemical  action — Arts  and  Manufactures  dependent 
on  chemistry — Importance  of  Heat  as  a  chemical 
agent — Its  action  on  various  substances — Conductors 
and  Non-conductors  of  Heat — Nature  of  Flame. 
All  these  different  subjects  were  illustrated  by  very 
curious  and  interesting  experiments.  It  was  over 
at  \  past  3.  Lehzen,  Lady  Conroy,  Victoire,  the 
Dean,  and  Sir  John  were  likewise  present.  I  was 
very  much  amused.  ... 

Monday,  30th  December. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up 
at  8.  At  9  we  breakfasted.  At  1  we  lunched.  At 
J  past  2  came  Mr.  Walker  to  lecture.  The  plan  of  the 
lecture  was  :  Properties  of  Matter — Particles  infinitely 
small,  divisible,  and  hard — Cohesion — Capillary 
attraction,  Magnetic  attraction,  &c.,  &c. — Repulsion 
exhibited    in    various    ways,    as    counteracting    the 


90  THE    PANTOMIME  [jet.u 

preceding  influences  —  Recapitulation  —  Mechanics  : 
Gravity  considered,  its  effects  on  descending  and 
projected  bodies — National  weights  and  measures — 
Vis  inertia,  momentum,  what — Mechanical  Powers, 
explained  by  various  machines,  applications,  &c. 
&c. — Draft  of  horses — Defect  of  wheel  carriages, 
road,  &c.  pointed  out — Some  improvements  sug- 
gested— Removal  of  Great  Stone  of  St.  Petersburg. 
The  lecture  lasted  till  a  J  to  4.  Lehzen,  Lady  Conroy, 
the  Dean,  and  Sir  John  were  present  besides  our- 
selves. At  a  J  to  7  we  dined.  Sir  John  dined  here. 
At  a  J  past  8  we  went  with  Lehzen,  Lady  Conroy,  and 
Sir  John  to  the  play  to  Covent  Garden.  We  came 
in  for  the  last  scene  of  Gustavus,  the  Masqued  Ball, 
and  stayed  the  whole  of  the  pantomime,  which  is 
called  Old  Mother  Hubbard  and  her  Dog;  or  Har- 
lequin and  Tales  of  the  Nursery.''  The  scenery  was 
very  pretty  and  the  principal  characters  were  :  Venus, 
Miss  Lee  ;  Cupid,  Miss  Poole  who  appeared  in  three 
other  dresses  :  as  a  peasant  boy,  as  a  drummer,  and 
as  Mother  Hubbard,  and  she  looked  very  pretty  and 
acted  very  well  indeed.  Old  Mother  Hubbard,  Mr. 
Wieland  ;  Schock  (her  dog),  Master  W.  Mitchinson. 
The  Duchess  Grifiinwinkle  Blowsabella  (afterwards 
Pantaloon),  Mr.  Barnes.  King  Rundytundy  O  (after- 
wards Dandy  Lover),  Mr.  W.  H.  Payne.  The  Prin- 
cess Graciosa  (afterwards  Columbine),  a  very  pretty 
person,  Miss  Foster.  Prince  Percineth  (afterwards 
Harlequin)  Mr.  Ellar.  Head  Cook  (afterwards  Clown) 
Mr.  T.  Mathews.  The  panorama  at  the  end  was 
also  pretty. 


INTRODUCTORY    NOTE   TO    CHAPTER    III 

The  year  1834  was  spent  very  quietly  by  Princess  Victoria.  Her 
education  progressed  in  simple  and  placid  grooves,  but  her  visits 
to  the  opera  and  the  theatre  became  more  frequent.  She 
became  devoted  to  Italian  opera,  and  formed  an  attachment  to 
music  of  the  Italian  school  from  which  even  Prince  Albert,  steeped 
as  he  was  in  German  music,  never  contrived  to  wean  her.  She 
accepted  then,  and  ever  afterwards,  Giulia  Grisi  as  the  supreme 
singer  and  artist.  From  the  month  of  June,  when  she  was  present 
at  a  Festival  in  Westminster  Abbey,  to  the  end  of  the  autumn, 
she  devoted  herself,  at  St.  Leonards  and  at  Tunbridge  Wells,  to 
the  study  of  music  and  singing  and  to  practising  upon  the  harp. 

This  year  the  Whig  Ministry  of  Lord  Grey  tottered  and  fell. 
In  July  King  William,  much  to  the  surprise  of  politicians  on  both 
sides,  entrusted  Lord  Melbourne  with  the  formation  of  a  Govern- 
ment. The  King  wanted  a  coalition  and  made  a  tentative  effort 
to  achieve  it,  but  he  did  not  succeed  in  obtaining  the  co-opera- 
tion of  either  Party.  It  was  not  anticipated  that  Lord  Mel- 
bourne's Government  could  last.  In  the  month  of  November  Lord 
Spencer  died,  and  Lord  Althorp,  his  son,  who  was  Chancellor 
of  the  Exchequer,  seized  with  unrestrained  delight  the  oppor- 
tunity to  retire  from  public  life.  Lord  Melbourne  thereupon 
resigned,  and  Sir  Robert  Peel,  returning  hurriedly  from  Rome, 
formed  an  administration  likewise  destined  to  be  short-lived. 

If  King  William  had  some  difficulty  in  finding  a  stable  Ministry, 
his  brother-monarch  across  the  Channel  was  in  no  better  plight. 
The  Parliamentary  difficulties  in  France  reached  a  stage  of  such 
complexity,  that  it  looked  for  a  moment  as  if  the  French  monarchy 
itself  might  succumb  to  the  vehemence  of  political  and  partisan 
strife.  The  Citizen-King  found  it  necessary  to  employ  100,000 
troops  to  keep  in  awe  the  three  cities  of  Paris,  Marseilles,  and 
Lyons.  At  this  moment  died  Lafayette,  one  of  the  last  links 
between  the  opening  and  concluding  discords  of  the  French  Revo- 
lution. It  was  during  this  year  that  two  foreigners  of  eminence, 
long  resident  in  England,  finally  disappeared  from  London  society. 
Princess  Lieven  left  the  Russian,  and  Talleyrand  the  French 
Embassy. 

This  year,  too,  saw  the  destruction,  by  fire,  of  the  old  Houses 
of  Parliament,  associated  with  so  many  historic  memories.  None 
of  these  events,  however,  caused  a  ripple  upon  the  surface  of  the 
little  Princess's  secluded  life  at  Kensington. 

91 


CHAPTER   III 

1834 

Thursday,  16th  January. — About  a  fortnight  or 
three  weeks  ago  I  received  the  Order  of  Maria  Louisa, 
accompanied  by  a  very  flattering  letter  from  Her 
Majesty  the  Queen  Regent  of  Spain,  in  the  name  of 
her  daughter  Queen  Isabel  the  2nd.  Having  some 
time  ago  asked  for  the  handwriting  of  Her  Majesty 
for  my  collection,  the  Queen  hearing  of  it,  sent  me 
the  Order  accompanied  by  a  very  gracious  letter. 
The  Order  is  a  violet  and  white  ribbon,  to  which  is 
suspended  (en  neglige)  an  enamel  sort  of  star,  and 
in  high  dress  one  superbly  studded  with  diamonds.^ 

Sunday,  13th  April. — At  10  we  went  to  prayers 
with  Lady  Theresa^  and  Lehzen.  The  service  was 
performed  by  the  Dean,  who  gave  us  likewise  a  very 
good  sermon.  It  was  taken  from  the  3rd  chapter  of 
Acts,  23rd  verse  :  *'  For  Moses  truly  said  unto  the 
fathers,  a  Prophet  shall  the  Lord  your  God  raise  up 
unto  you  of  your  brethren,  like  unto  me  ;  him  shall 
ye  hear  in  all  things  whatsoever  he  shall  say  unto 
you.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  every  soul, 
which  will  not  hear  that  prophet,  shall  be  destroyed 

^  This  was  the  first  of  many  Foreign  Orders  received  by  Queen 
Victoria.  They  have  been  carefully  collected  and  arranged  by  King 
George  and  Queen  Mary,  and  are  displayed  in  Queen  Mary's  audience 
room  in  Windsor  Castle. 

2  Lady  Theresa  Fox-Strangways,  elder  daughter  of  the  third  Earl 
of  Ilchester,  afterwards  wife  of  the  ninth  Lord  Digby. 

92 


18341  "ANNE    BOULENA"  98 

from  among  the  people."  At  1  we  lunched.  At  7 
we  3  and  Lady  Theresa  also  dined.  After  dinner  came 
Aunt  Sophia.     I  stayed  up  till  a  J  to  9. 

Monday,  lUh  April. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up 
at  J  past  7.  At  ^  past  8  we  all  breakfasted.  As  I 
am  now  about  to  return  to  my  usual  studies,  I  must 
not  omit  to  mention  how  very  anxious  my  dear 
Mamma  was  throughout  my  indisposition,  and  how 
unceasing  dear  Lehzen  was  in  her  attentions  and 
care  to  me.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  I9th  April. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up 
at  8.  At  9  we  breakfasted.  At  |  past  9  came  the 
Dean  till  J  past  10.  At  12  we  went  out  walking. 
At  1  we  lunched.  At  J  past  2  came  the  Duchess  of 
Northumberland.  At  3  came  Lady  Robert  Gros- 
venor  ^  with  her  little  girl  Victoria.  She  is  a  dear 
little  child,  so  clever  and  intelligent.  At  4  came 
Mrs.  Anderson  till  5.  At  6  we  dined.  At  a  J  past 
7  we  went  with  Lady  Conroy,  Lehzen  and  Sir  John 
to  the  Opera.  We  came  in  just  at  the  beginning 
of  the  Opera  of  Anna  Boulena.  The  characters 
were :  Anna  Boulena,  Mdlle.  Guiletta  Grisi.'  She 
is  a  most  beautiful  singer  and  actress  and  is  likewise 
very  young  and  pretty.  She  sang  beautifully  through- 
out but  particularly  in  the  last  scene  when  she  is 
mad,  which  she  acted  likewise  beautifully.  Giovanna 
Seymour,  Mrs.  E.  Seguin,  who  sings  very  well.  Enrico, 
Signor  Tambourini,  who  sang  beautifully.  Ricardo 
Percy,  M.  Ivanhoff,  who  sings  very  well.  He  has  a 
very  pleasing  though  not  a  very  strong  voice.  Be- 
tween the  acts  there  was  a  divertissement,  in  which 

*  Afterwards  La<1y  Ebviry.    Sister  of  the  first  Earl  Cowley.    See  p.  50. 

2  Giulia  Grisi  (1815-69)  made  her  dubut  at  Florence,  aged  fourteen. 
Th^ophile  Gautier  said  of  her  that  under  her  spell  what  was  only  an 
opera  became  a  tragedy  and  a  poem.  She  first  appeared  in  London 
in  1834.     She  was  afterwards  married  to  the  Count  of  Candia  (Mario). 


94  "  OTELLO "  I^et.  i4 

Mdlle.  Theresa  Elsler  danced  a  pas  de  deux  with 
Mons.  T.  Guerinot,  and  Mdlle.  Fannv  Elsler  with 
M.  Perrot.  Mdlle.  Fanny  danced  beautifully  ;  she 
ran  up  the  stage  on  the  tips  of  her  toes  in  a  most 
extraordinary  manner.  She  likewise  made  many 
other  pretty  little  steps.  M.  Perrot  (whom  I  had 
never  seen  before)  danced  likewise  quite  beautifully. 
We  went  away  as  soon  as  the  2nd  act  of  the  opera 
was  over.      We   came   home    at   12.      I   was  very 

MUCH  AMUSED  INDEED  !    .    .    . 

Saturday,  26th  April. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up 
at  a  J  to  8.  At  9  we  breakfasted.  At  |  past  9 
came  the  Dean  till  11.  The  Duchess  of  Northumber- 
land was  present.  At  12  we  went  to  pay  a  visit  to 
Aunt  Gloucester.  At  1  we  lunched.  At  3  came 
Mr.  Steward  till  4.  At  4  came  Mrs.  Anderson  till  5. 
At  6  we  dined.  Sir  John  dined  here.  At  a  J  past  7 
we  went  with  Lehzen  and  Sir  John  to  the  Opera. 
We  came  in  just  at  the  beginning  of  the  opera  of 
Otello.  The  characters  were  :  Otello,  Signer  Rubini 
who  sang  quite  beautifully  and  acted  very  well, 
lago,  Signor  Tambourini  who  sung  likewise  beauti- 
fully.    Rodrigo,    M.    Ivanhoff  who    sung    very   well. 

Signor  Zuchello.     Desdemona,  Signora  Giuletta 

Grisi.  She  sang  and  acted  quite  beautifully  !  and 
looked  lovely.  She  acted  and  sang  most  sweetly 
and  beautifully  in  the  last  scene  ;  and  also  in  the 
two  trios  in  the  1st  and  2nd  acts.  When  the  opera 
was  over  she  was  called  for,  and  she  came  on,  led 
by  Rubini.  At  that  moment  a  wreath  of  roses  with 
a  small  roll  of  paper  inside  was  thrown  on  the  stage  ; 
Rubini  picked  it  up  and  placed  it  on  her  head. 
They  were  very  much  applauded.  We  came  away 
directly  after  the  opera.     Lord  Ilchester^  and  Lady 

1  Henry  Stephen,  third  Earl  (1787-1812). 


1834]  FERDINAND    OF    SAXE-COBURG  96 

Theresa  joined  us  there.     We  came  home  at  a  J  to 

12.       I  was  VERY  MUCH   AMUSED   INDEED  !!!... 

Monday,  2Sth  April. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up 
at  a  ^  to  8.  At  a  J  to  9  we  breakfasted.  At  i  past  9 
came  the  Dean  till  a  J  past  11.  The  Duchess  of 
Northumberland  was  present.  At  12  Lehzen  and 
I  drove  out.  At  1  we  lunched.  At  3  came  Mr. 
Steward  till  4.  I  then  went  to  the  painting  room. 
At  7  we  dined.  After  dinner  while  we  were  playing 
on  the  piano,  arrived  Uncle  Ferdinand  ^  and  Charles.* 
Uncle  Ferdinand  is  Mamma's  second  brother  and  she 
had  not  seen  him  for  16  years  !  I  have  now  seen 
all  my  uncles,  except  Uncle  Mensdorff  *  (Aunt 
Sophie's  husband),  for  Mamma's  eldest  brother, 
Uncle  Ernest,^  was  here  3  years  ago,  the  same 
year  Uncle  Leopold  went  to  Belgium.  Charles  is 
looking  very  well  and  is  grown  much  fatter.  Uncle 
Ferdinand  is  not  at  all  like  my  other  Uncles. 
He  is  fair.  It  is  a  great  pleasure  for  me  to  see 
both  Uncle  Ferdinand  and  Charles.  I  stayed  up 
till  9.  .   .  . 

Thursday,  5th  June. — At  11  arrived  my  dearest 
sister  Feodora  whom  I  had  not  seen  for  6  years. 
She  is  accompanied  by  Ernest,  her  husband,  and  her 
two  eldest  children  Charles  and  Eliza.  Dear  Feodora 
looks  very  well  but  is  grown  much  stouter  since  I 

^  Prince  Ferdinand  of  Saxe-Coburg  (1786-1851),  uncle  of  the  Prince 
Consort. 

*  Charles  Emich,  Prince  Leiningen,  son  of  the  Duchess  of  Kent  by 
her  first  husband,  and  half-brother  of  Princess  Victoria. 

'  Emmanuel,  Count  Mensdorff-Pouilly  (1777-1862),  husband  of 
Princess  Sophia,  eldest  sister  of  the  Prince  Consort's  father  and 
of  the  Duchess  of  Kent.  An  emigrant  from  France  in  1793,  he  attained 
high  rank  in  the  Austrian  service.  His  sons  were  intimate  companions 
of  the  Prince  Consort. 

*  Ernest,  Duke  of  Saxe-Coburg  (1784-1844),  father  of  the  Prince 
Consort. 


96  THE    HOHENLOHE    FAMILY  [^x.is 

saw  her.  She  was  married  on  the  18th  of  February 
1828  and  went  away  to  Germany  a  week  after  and 
she  never  came  here  again  since.  Hohenlohe  looks 
also  very  well.  As  for  the  children  they  are  the 
DEAREST  little  loves  I  ever  saw.  Charles  is  4  years 
and  a  half  old.  He  is  very  tall  and  is  a  sweet  good- 
tempered  little  fellow.  He  is  not  handsome  but 
he  is  a  very  nice-looking  boy.  He  has  light  blue 
eyes  and  fair  hair.  Eliza  is  3  years  and  a  half  old  ; 
she  is  also  very  tall  and  is  a  perfect  little  beauty. 
She  has  immense  dark  brown  eyes  and  a  very  small 
mouth  and  light  brown  hair.  She  is  very  clever 
and  amusing.  We  then  showed  her  their  rooms, 
and  afterwards,  at  J  past  12,  we  went  to  see  the 
dear  children  take  their  dinner.  They  took  it  with 
Mr.  Rol,  Charles's  tutor.  At  1  we  all  lunched,  that 
is  to  say,  Mamma,  dear  Feodore,  Ernst  Hohenlohe, 
Charly,  Lehzen,  and  I.  After  luncheon,  Feodore 
and  the  others  went  upstairs.  At  2  Charles  and 
Eliza  came  down  and  stayed  with  us  alone.  They 
are  dear  sweet  children  ;  not  at  all  shy  and  so  good  ; 
they  never  hurt  or  spoil  anything.  At  a  little  after 
2  came  Lady  Westminster.^  The  dear  children 
behaved  so  well.  They  are  so  very  sensible.  They 
staid  till  after  3.  Eliza  speaks  German  and  French 
very  nicely.  She  has  a  French  Swiss  bonne  called 
Louise  who  speaks  French  with  her.  At  h  past  4 
we  went  out  driving  with  dear  Feodore  and  Lehzen. 
We  came  home  at  6.  At  7  we  dined.  Besides 
dearest  Feodore,  Ernest,  Charles  and  Lehzen,  Sir 
J.  Conroy  dined  here.  When  the  2nd  course  was 
put  on,  Charles  and  Eliza  came  in,  and  staid  there. 
They  were  very  funny  and  amusing  and  talked 
immensely.     They  staid  up  till  |  past  8.     At  J  past  9 

^  See  arUe,  p.  49. 


/ 


s\ 


1834]  THE    OPERA    AND    TAGLIONI  97 

we  went  to  the  Opera  with  Ernst  Hohenlohe,  Charles, 
Lehzen,  and  Sir  John  Conroy,  poor  dear  Feodora 
being  too  tired  to  go.  We  came  in  at  about  the 
middle  of  the  2nd  act  of  Rossini's  Opera  of  L'Assiedo 
di  Corrinto.  It  is  in  3  acts.  The  principal  char- 
acters are :  Mahomet  (Emperor  of  the  Tm'ks), 
Signor  Tamburini,  who  sang  beautifully  and  looked 
very  well.  Cleomene  (Governor  of  Corrinto),  Mons. 
Ivanoff  who  likewise  sang  very  well.  Nioclene,  Signor 
Rubini  who  also  sang  quite  beautifully.  Pamira, 
Mdlle.  Giuletta  Grisi,  who  sang  quite  beautifully  and 
acted  and  looked  extremely  well.  It  was  Laporte's 
benefit,  and  the  first  time  this  opera  was  ever  per- 
formed in  this  country.  Then  followed  the  2nd 
act  of  La  Sylphide  in  which  Taglioni  made  her  first 
appearance  since  an  absence  of  some  months.  She 
danced  quite  beautifully,  quite  as  if  she  flew  in  the 
air,  so  gracefully  and  lightly.  She  looked  also  very 
well.  There  was  also  a  Pas  de  Trois  danced  by 
Mdlles.  Theresa  and  Fanny  Elsler  and  Mons.  Theo- 
dore. Mdlle.  Fanny  danced  beautifully.  We  came 
home  at  10  minutes  to  1.  There  is  only  one  thing 
wanting  to  my  happiness  in  being  with  my  dear 
sister  and  her  children,  that  is  that  I  cannot  share 
that  happiness  with  one  whom  I  love  so  very  dearly 
but  who  is  far  far  away — that  is  my  most  dear 
Uncle  Ferdinand.  .   .  . 

Wednesday,  11th  June. — Dear  little  Eliza  and 
Charles  came  down  to  breakfast.  Eliza  came  into 
my  room  and  staid  with  me  for  some  time.  She 
is  a  dear  good  little  girl.  At  1  we  lunched.  Eliza 
came  again  into  my  room  and  staid  with  me  for 
nearly  an  hour.  At  3  we  went  with  Lady  Flora 
Hastings  *    and   Lehzen   to   Windsor   on   a   visit   to 

^  Eldest  daughter  of  Francis,  first  Marquess  of  Hastings,  Lady  of 
1—8 


98  VISIT    TO    WINDSOR  fiET.is 

their  Majesties.  We  were  very  sorry  to  leave  the 
dear  children.  At  a  J  past  5  we  arrived  at  Windsor. 
The  Queen,  dear  Feodore,  Ernest  and  several  ladies 
and  gentlemen  of  the  court,  received  us  at  the  door 
and  conducted  us  upstairs  to  the  Queen's  room,  where 
the  King  was.  I  was  very  happy  to  see  my  dear 
sister  again.  Some  time  afterwards  the  Queen  con- 
ducted us  to  our  rooms  which  are  very  handsome. 
At  7  we  dined.  Besides  the  King  and  Queen, 
Feodore  and  Ernest,  Mamma  and  I,  Lady  Flora  and 
Lehzen,  there  dined  there  :  George  Cambridge,  the 
Duke  and  Duchess  of  Richmond,^  the  Duchess  of 
Northumberland,  the  Duke  of  Grafton,*  the  Duke 
of  Dorset,^  the  Duke  of  Cleveland,^  the  Marquis 
and  Marchioness  of  Conyngham,^  Lady  Clinton 
(Lady   of   the   Bedchamber   in   Waiting),   Lord   and 

the   Bedchamber   to   the   Duchess  of    Kent.     This  unfortunate   lady 
died  in  1839. 

1  Charles,  fifth  Duke  (1791-1860).  As  Lord  March  he  is  often  men- 
tioned in  the  Duke  of  Wellington's  correspondence.  He  was  one  of 
the  very  few  male  human  beings  ever  alluded  to  by  the  Iron  Duke 
in  terms  of  affection.  The  Duchess  was  Caroline,  daughter  of  the 
Marquess  of  Anglesey. 

*  George  Henry  (1760-1844),  fourth  Duke.  An  obscure  Whig  po- 
tentate. 

^  Charles,  fifth  Duke,  but  fourteentli  Earl  of  Dorset,  K.G.  Master  of 
the  Horse  in  various  Tory  Administrations.  On  his  death,  unnaarried,  in 
1843,  his  honours  (including  the  Earldom  of  Middlesex)  became  extinct. 
A  favourite  of  George  IV.  One  of  the  first  gentlemen  jockeys.  He 
and  his  brother  Germaine  were  famous  at  Newmarket  as  race  riders. 
He  established  Bibury  races.  He  was  of  tiny  physique,  but  smart, 
and  a  great  favovirite  with  ladies. 

*  William  Harry,  first  Duke  of  Cleveland,  of  a  new  creation,  a  great- 
grandson  in  the  male  line  of  a  daughter  of  Barbara  Palmer,  Duchess  of 
Cleveland.  He  died  in  1842,  and  his  income  was  computed  at  £110,000 
per  anntun.     See  ante,  p.  68. 

^  Francis,  second  Marquess  (1797-1876),  who,  three  years  later, 
brought  to  the  Princess  at  Kensington  the  news  of  her  accession. 
Lady  Conyngham  was  a  daughter  of  Lord  Anglesey. 


1834]  ASCOT    RACES  99 

Lady  Frederick  Fitzclarcnce/  Lord  Denbigh,*  Lady 
Sophia  Sidney,*  Miss  Eden,*  Miss  Hope  Johnston, 
Miss  Wilson,  Lord  Albemarle,^  Sir  Frederick  Watson, 
Colonel  Lygon,^  Mr.  Wood,^  &c.,  &c.  The  Queen 
went  first  with  Ernest,  then  came  the  King  who 
led  Mamma  and  I  in,  and  then  came  Feodore  with 
the  Duke  of  Richmond.  The  rest  I  do  not  recollect. 
I  sat  between  the  King  and  the  Duke  of  Dorset.  I 
stayed  up  till  |  past  9. 

Thursday,  \2ili  June. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up 
at  a  J  to  8.  At  \  past  9  we  breakfasted,  with  the 
King,  the  Queen,  Feodore,  Ernest,  George  Cambridge, 
the  Duchess  of  Northumberland,  and  Lady  Clinton. 
All  the  other  ladies  breakfasted  together.  We  then 
went  into  the  Queen's  room.  At  a  J  past  12  we 
went  to  Ascot  Races  with  the  whole  company  in 
9  carriages.  In  the  first  went  the  King,  the  Queen, 
Mamma  and  I.  In  the  second  Feodore,  the  Duchess 
of  Richmond,  the  Duchess  of  Northumberland  and 
Lady  Clinton.  In  the  third  Lady  Flora,  Lady 
Sophia   Sydney,    the   Duke   of   Richmond,    and   the 

*  Second  son  of  William  IV.  and  Mrs.  Jordan.  The  eldest  son  was 
created  Earl  of  Munster,  1831  ;  the  younger  children  (except  those  who 
had  attained  higher  rank  by  marriage)  were  granted  the  style  of  younger 
children  of  a  marquess.  Lady  Frederick  was  a  daughter  of  the  Earl 
of  Glasgow. 

*  William  Basil  Percy  (1796-1865),  seventh  Earl  of  Denbigh, 
Chamberlain  to  Queen  Adelaide. 

*  Lady  Sophia  Fitzclarence,  daughter  of  William  IV.  She  married 
Sir  Philip  Sidney,  afterwards  created  Lord  De  I'lsle  and  Dudley  of 
Penshurst. 

*  Emily,  sister  of  the  second  Lord  Auckland. 

*  See  arde,  p.  69. 

*  Edward,  fourth  son  of  the  first  Earl  Beauchamp. 

'  Afterwards  Sir  Charles  Wood  (1800-85)  and  first  Viscoimt  Halifax. 
Married  the  daughter  of  Charles,  Earl  Grey.  He  served  in  many 
administrations  ;  finally  as  Secretary  of  State  for  India  and  Lord  Privy 
Seal.     A  typical  Whig  statesman  of  high  probity  and  wisdom. 


100  THE    ROYAL    PROCESSION  [^et.is 

Duke  of  Cleveland.  In  the  fourth  Lehzen,  Miss 
Hope  Johnston,  the  Duke  of  Grafton,  and  the  Duke 
of  Dorset.  How  all  the  others  went  I  do  not  know. 
At  about  1  we  arrived  on  the  race  course  and  entered 
the  King's  stand  with  all  our  party.  The  races 
were  very  good  and  there  was  an  immense  concourse 
of  people  there  of  all  ranks.  At  about  J  past  2 
we  had  luncheon.  At  a  little  after  6  we  left  the 
stand  and  returned  to  the  castle  in  the  same  way 
as  we  came  except  that,  as  it  rained  very  hard,  we 
came  home  in  shut  carriages.  At  7  we  arrived  at 
the  castle.  At  J  past  7  we  dined.  The  company 
at  dinner  were  the  same  as  yesterday  with  the 
exception  of  Lord  and  Lady  Conyngham  not  dining 
here,  and  a  few  other  gentlemen  having  dined  here. 
We  went  in  in  the  same  way.  I  sat  between  the 
King  and  the  Duke  of  Cleveland.  I  stayed  up  till 
a  J  to  11.  I  was  very  much  amused  indeed  at  the 
races.  .  .  . 

Sunday^  27th  July. — At  9  we  breakfasted.  How 
sad  I  felt  at  breakfast  not  to  see  the  door  open  and 
DEAR  Feodore  come  in  smiling  and  leading  her  dear 
little  girl ;  and  not  to  get  the  accustomed  morning 
kiss  from  her.  At  11  we  went  to  the  chapel  with 
Lehzen,  Lady  Conroy,  and  Victoire.  The  Bishop 
of  London  preached  a  very  fine  sermon.  Victoire 
Conroy  stayed  till  J  past  2.  At  1  we  lunched.  I 
missed  dear  Feodore  here  again  terribly.  I  miss 
her  so  much  to-day.  She  used  to  be  with  me  so 
much  on  Sunday  always.  We  used  to  talk  together 
so  pleasantly.  Last  Sunday  afternoon  she  painted 
in  my  room.  At  J  past  3  we  went  with  Lehzen  to 
visit  Aunt  Gloucester,  and  then  drove  home  through 
the  park.  How  dull  that  drive  appeared  to  me 
without  dear  Feodore.     We  came  home  at  |  past  5. 


1834]  DEATH    OF    DOM    PEDRO  101 

At  7  we  dined.  After  dinner  came  Aunt  Sophia. 
We  passed  a  sad  dull  evening.  I  stayed  up  till 
a  J  to  9.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  5th  October. — .  .  .  The  news  were  re- 
ceived a  few  days  ago  that  Dom  Pedro,  Regent  of 
Portugal,^  was  dead.  He  expired  on  the  24th  instant, 
at  the  age  of  35.  His  daughter.  Donna  Maria,  the 
young  Queen,  though  only  15,  is  declared  of  age 
and  able  to  govern  by  herself.  The  lovely  young 
Empress  is  left  a  widow  at  the  age  of  22  only.  It  is 
a  sad  situation  both  for  the  young  Queen  and  the 
poor  Empress,  in  whom  both  I  take  the  greatest 
interest  as  I  know  them  personally.  I  saw  Dom 
Pedro  when  he  was  in  England  about  3  years  ago. 
At  11  we  went  to  church.  At  1  we  lunched.  At 
J  past  3  we  went  out  driving  with  Lady  Flora  and 
Lehzen,  in  the  pony-carriage.  We  came  home  in 
the  large  carriage  at  6.  At  7  we  dined.  Lady  Con- 
roy,  Jane,  Victoire,  Sir  J.,  Messrs.  E.,  S.,  and  H.  C. 
dined  here.     I  stayed  up  till  J  past  9.  .  .  . 

St.  Leonards,  Wednesday,  Uh  November. — I  said  in 
my  last  journal  book  that  I  would  describe  in  this  book 
all  what  passed  yesterday.  We  reached  Battle  Abbey 
at  about  a  J  to  1.  We  were  received  at  the  door  by 
Lady  Webster.^  Battle  Abbey  was  built  by  King 
William  the  Conqueror  and  stands  on  the  site  where 
the  famous  battle  of  Hastings  was  fought.  The 
place  is  still  preserved  where  Harold  fell.  She 
showed  us  first  into  a  large  hall  supposed  to  be  the 
highest   in   England.     There   are   portraits   of   King 

^  See  ante,  p.  86. 

2  Charlotte,  daughter  of  Robert  Adamson  of  Westmeath  and  wife  of 
Sir    Godfrey   Vassal   Webster,   of    Battle   Abbey,   formerly   M.P.   for 
Siissex.     Sir   Godfrey's   mother,   Elizabeth   Vassal,   eloped   from   her 
husband    with    Lord    Holland,    and    was    the    famous    "  Old    Mada 
gascar  "  of  Holland  House  coteries. 
1—8* 


102  ARRIVAL    AT    ST.    LEONARDS  [;et.i5 

Charles  the  2nd,  King  WilHam  the  3rd,  and  Queen 
Anne  in  it,  &c.  &c.  There  is  also  a  very  large  picture 
of  the  battle  of  Hastings.  Some  old  suits  of  armour 
are  also  in  the  hall.  We  saw  also  what  were  the 
cloisters  now  turned  into  a  room.  We  saw  the 
Beggars'  Hall,  a  curious  walk  of  the  monks,  and 
the  garden.  We  lastly  partook  of  some  refreshment 
in  a  very  pretty  room  in  which  there  was  a  picture 
of  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  not  full  length,  only  to 
the  waist ;  which  is  said  to  be  very  like.  The 
outside  of  the  abbey  is  very  fine  too.  We  left  it 
again  at  J  past  1.  The  tenants  again  accompanied 
us  till  Broadeslowe.  There  some  gentlemen  from 
Hastings  met  us  and  accompanied  us  to  St.  Leonards. 
W^e  passed  under  an  arch  formed  of  laurels  and 
decorated  with  flowers  and  inscriptions.  As  soon 
as  we  passed  the  2nd  arch  the  Mayor  got  out  of  his 
carriage  and  came  to  our  door  asking  leave  to  precede 
us  in  his  carriage.  An  immense  concourse  of  people 
walking  with  the  carriage.  The  mayor  and  aldermen 
preceding  us  in  carriages  as  also  a  band  of  music. 
Throughout  Hastings  the  houses  were  decorated 
with  flowers,  ribands  and  inscriptions,  and  arches 
of  flowers  and  laurels.  Ladies  and  children  waving 
handkerchiefs  and  laurels  on  the  balconies  and  at 
the  windows.  Cries  of  "  Welcome,  welcome,  Royal 
visitors,"  were  constantly  heard.  We  reached  Hast- 
ings at  J  past  2,  and  it  was  4  o'clock  before  we 
arrived  at  our  house  at  St.  Leonards.  It  was  indeed 
a  most  splendid  reception.  We  stepped  out  on  the 
balcony  and  were  loudly  cheered.  One  sight  was 
extremely  pretty.  Six  fishermen  in  rough  blue 
jackets,  red  caps  and  coarse  white  aprons,  preceded 
by  a  band,  bore  a  basket  ornamented  with  flowers, 
full   of   fish   as   a  present   for   us.     We   found   dear 


1834]  A    CARRIAGE    ACCIDENT  103 

Dashy  in  perfect  health.  Our  house  is  very  com- 
fortable. At  6  we  dined.  Lady  Conroy,  Jane, 
Victoire,  Messrs.  E.,  S.,  H.,  and  Sir  J.  C.  dined  here. 
After  8  the  fireworks  began  and  lasted  till  9.  They 
were  very  fine.     I  stayed  up  till  9. 

Thursday,  5th  November. — I  awoke  this  morning  at 
7  and  got  up  at  J  past  7.  At  9  we  breakfasted.  At 
12  Mamma  received  an  address  from  the  Mayor, 
Corporation,  and  Inhabitants  of  Hastings  and  St. 
Leonards.  After  1  we  lunched.  At  7  we  dined. 
Lady  Conroy,  Jane,  Victoire,  Messrs.  E.,  S.,  and 
Sir  J.  C.  dined  here. 

Tuesday,  11th  November. —  ...  At  J  past  11 
we  went  out  driving  in  the  barouche  with  Lady  Flora 
and  Lehzen.  We  got  out  and  walked  and  sent  the 
barouche  home.  We  afterwards  got  into  the  close 
landau  with  a  postilion  and  horse  in  hand.  As  we 
came  to  the  commencement  of  the  town  where  a 
seminary  is  to  be  built,  the  hand-horse  kicked  up 
and  getting  entangled  in  the  traces  fell  down,  pulling 
the  other  with  it ;  the  horse  with  the  postilion 
however  instantly  recovered  itself  but  the  other 
remained  on  the  ground  kicking  and  struggling  most 
violently.  Two  gentlemen  very  civilly  came  and 
held  the  horse's  head  down  while  we  all  got  out  as 
fast  as  possible.  I  called  for  poor  dear  little  Dashy 
who  was  in  the  rumble  ;  Wood  (our  footman)  took 
him  down  and  I  ran  on  with  him  in  my  arms  calling 
Mamma  to  follow,  Lehzen  and  Lady  Flora  followed 
us  also.  They  then  cut  the  traces,  the  horse  still 
struggling  violently.  The  other  horse  which  had 
been  quite  quiet,  being  frightened  by  the  other's 
kicking,  backed  and  fell  over  into  a  foundation  pit, 
while  Wood  held  him,  and  he  (Wood)  with  difficulty 
prevented  himself  from  falling  ;   the  horse  recovering 


104  A   NARROW   ESCAPE  [^t.  15 

himself  ran  after  us  and  we  instantly  ran  behind  a 
low  stone  wall ;  but  the  horse  went  along  the  road, 
and  a  workman  took  him  and  gave  him  to  Wood. 
The  other  horse  had  ceased  kicking  and  got  up. 
We  ought  to  be  most  grateful  to  Almighty  God  for 
His  merciful  providence  in  thus  preserving  us,  for 
it  was  a  very  narrow  escape.  Both  Wood  and  Bacle- 
berry  behaved  very  well  indeed.  The  names  of  the 
two  gentlemen  who  held  the  horse's  head  are  Rev. 
Mr.  Gould  and  Mr.  Peckham  Micklethwaite.^  The 
latter  I  am  sorry  to  say  was  hurt,  but  not  very 
materially.  The  poor  horse  is  cut  from  head  to 
foot ;  but  the  other  is  not  at  all  hurt  only  very  much 
frightened.     We  walked  home.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  SOth  November. —  .  .  .  We  went  to  church 
with  Lady  Flora  and  Lehzen.  Mr.  Randolph  preached 
a  most  beautiful  sermon.  It  was  taken  from  the 
6th  chapter  of  St.  Paul's  2nd  Epistle  to  the  Corin- 
thians, 1st  and  2nd  verses.  "  We  then,  as  workers 
together  with  Him,  beseech  you  also  that  ye  receive 
not  the  grace  of  God  in  vain.  For  He  saith,  I  have 
heard  thee  in  a  time  accepted,  and  in  the  day  of 
salvation  have  I  succoured  thee  :  behold,  now  is 
the  accepted  time  ;  behold,  now  is  the  day  of  salva- 
tion." At  1  we  lunched.  At  3  came  Victoire 
Conroy  till  a  J  past  6.  At  7  we  dined.  Jane, 
Victoire,  Messrs.  E.,  H.,  and  Sir  J.  C.  dined  here. 

Tuesday,  2nd  December. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got 
up  at  ^  past  7.  We  received  this  morning  the  news 
that  my  poor  Uncle,  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,^  was 

^  He  was  made  a  baronet  in  1838  for  this  act.     See  post,  p.  365. 

2  William  Frederick  (1776-1834),  second  Duke,  was  the  sonof  William 
Henry,  first  Duke,  by  Maria,  Countess-Dowager  Waldegrave,  illegiti- 
m.ate  daughter  of  Edward  Walpole,  a  younger  son  of  the  great  Minister. 
The    Duke  was    an    inoffensive  man  of    quiet  and  mild    disposition, 


1834]  THE   DUKE    OF    GLOUCESTER  105 

dead.  He  expired  on  Sunday  evening,  the  30th  of 
November,  1834,  at  20  minutes  to  7.  I  am  very 
sorry  that  we  have  lost  him  as  he  was  always  a 
most  affectionate  and  kind  Uncle  to  me.  Aunt 
Mary,  I  hear,  bears  her  loss  wonderfully.  Poor 
Aunt  Sophia  Matilda,  his  only  sister  and  who  was 
excessively  fond  of  him,  is  dreadfully  distressed  at 
losing  her  only  brother.  But  her  piety  will  enable 
her  to  bear  this  great  loss.  He  was  so  kind  to 
think  of  us  the  morning  before  he  died.  Aunt  S. 
Matilda  told  him  that  we  had  asked  how  he  was, 
upon  which  he  answered,  "  Tell  them  that  I  say, 
God  bless  them,  and  that  I  love  them."  This  kind 
message  proved  the  quiet  state  of  mind  he  was  in. 
He  showed  such  piety,  such  peace  and  resignation, 
that  that  proved  a  great  comfort  to  his  poor  sister. 
He  was  in  his  59th  year.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  23rd  December. —  ...  I  received  from 
dear  Uncle  Leopold  this  morning  some  most  inter- 
esting autographs  which  are  :  Louis  Seize's,  Marie 
Antoinette's,  Henri  IV.'s,  the  Duke  of  Marlborough's, 
the  Empress  Maria  Theresa's  and  her  husband's, 
and  Lafayette's.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  2Sth  December. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got 
up  at  20  minutes  to  8.  At  9  we  breakfasted.  At 
11  we  went  to  church  with  Lady  Flora  and  Lehzen. 
Mr.  Randolph  preached  a  very  fine  sermon.  It 
was  taken  from  the  1st  chapter  of  St.  Matthew, 
21st  verse :  "  And  she  shall  bring  forth  a  Son,  and 
thou  shalt  call  His  name  Jesus  :  for  He  shall  save 
His  people  from  their  sins."  At  J  past  1  we  lunched. 
I  forgot  to  mention  that  I  received  this  morning  a 

familiarly  known  as  "  Silly  Billy."  He  married  his  cousin,  Princess 
Mary,  daughter  of  Greorge  III.  He  was  proud  of  his  rank,  but  of 
little  else.     See  ante,  p.  65. 


106  LETTER    FROM    KING    LEOPOLD  [iET.15 

very  kind  letter  from  dear  Uncle  Leopold,  accom- 
panied by  a  beautiful  shawl  and  the  autographs  of 
Louis  XV.,  his  Queen,  Marie  Leczinska,  and  the 
Dauphin,  father  to  Louis  XVI.  At  J  past  2  we  went 
out  with  Lady  Flora  and  Lehzen  and  came  home 
after  3.   .   .  . 


INTRODUCTORY   NOTE   TO    CHAPTER    IV 

The  Princess  attached  importance  to  this  year  of  her  hfe.  It 
appeared  to  her  that  she  benefited  more  fully  by  her  lessons,  and 
began  to  realise  their  importance.  About  a  month  after  her 
birthday  she  was  confirmed  at  the  Chapel  Royal,  St.  James's,  by 
the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  She  was  impressed  by  the 
solemnity  of  the  occasion  and  frightened  by  the  austerity  of 
Archbishop  Howley.  This  year  marked  an  epoch  in  ways  other 
than  spiritual.  She  was  allowed  more  freely  to  mix  with  her 
mother's  guests.  Personages  of  distinction  were  asked  to  meet 
her,  and  she  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  some  of  the  more 
eminent  of  those  who  were  to  be  her  future  subjects,  although  she 
had  scant  opportunity  of  getting  to  know  them  well. 

She  went  to  Ascot  this  year  in  the  Royal  Procession,  and  then, 
in  the  autumn,  her  mother  arranged  for  her  a  Progress  on  the  lines 
of  that  which  is  recorded  in  her  Journals  of  1832.  There  is  nothing, 
however,^to  show  that  she  was  alive  to  the  trend  of  public  events. 
The  existence  of  Lord  Melbourne's  second  Ministry  Avas  precarious. 
It  was  said  that  Lord  Melbourne  had  against  him  the  King,  the 
Church,  the  Bar,  the  Agricultural  and  Monied  interest,  and  a  large 
minority  in  the  House  of  Commons  ;  whereas  he  only  had  in  his 
favour  a  small  majority  in  the  House  of  Commons,  the  manu- 
facturing towns,  and  a  portion  of  the  rabble.  This  was  the  Toij'^ 
analysis  of  the  pohtical  situation  in  1835.  "  Threatened  men  and 
threatened  Ministries  enjoy  a  long  life,"  and  Lord  Melbourne's 
was  no  exception. 

The  Princess  was  in  frequent  communication  by  letter  with 
her  Uncle,  King  Leopold.  He  sent  her  many  interesting  auto- 
graphs for  the  collection  she  at  that  time  was  forming.  They 
corresponded  about  books.  It  was  he  who  recommended  her 
Sully's  Memoirs,  which,  as  her  Journals  show,  she  assiduously  read, 
and  he  now  and  then  referred  in  admonitory  terms  to  her  future 
regal  responsibilities  and  duties. 

On  one  occasion  he  sent  her  an  extract  from  a  French  Memoir 
containing  a  severe  criticism  on  the  political  character  of  Queen 
Anne,  to  which  she  replied  that  as  he  had  endeavoured  to  point 
out  to  her  what  a  Queen  "  ought  not  to  be,"  she  hoped  he  would 
give  her  some  idea  of  what  a  Queen  "  ought  to  be."  Those  who  are 
familiar  with  the  character  and  disposition  of  King  Leopold  can 
imagine  that  he  responded  willingly  to  the  invitation.  It  was 
upon  this  note  that  the  year  1835  came  to  an  end. 

107 


CHAPTER   IV 

1835 

Monday,  5th  January. — I  quite  forgot  to  mention 
that  on  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  November  a 
ship  laden  with  either  coal  or  chalk  sank,  but  all 
the  crew  came  off  safe.  Lieutenant  Gilley  and 
five  men  put  off  in  a  boat  from  the  3rd  Martello 
Tower,  in  hopes  of  being  able  to  save  some  of  the 
goods  of  the  sunken  ship.  The  sea  was  very  high, 
the  boat  slight  and  over-loaded,  and  they  had 
scarcely  left  the  shore  when  the  boat  was  upset 
and  they  were  all  six  drowned  !  The  poor  sister  of 
the  Lieutenant  is  residing  here.  Three  of  the  poor 
men  were  married  and  left  their  poor  widows  (all 
young)  plunged  in  the  greatest  grief.  The  body  of 
Weeks,  one  of  the  married  men  and  who  had  3 
children,  was  found  two  days  after,  at  Pevensey. 
The  poor  Lieutenant's  body  was  only  found  last 
Sunday,  the  28th  December,  quite  near  here  ;  and 
one  of  the  other  married  men,  called  Conely,  who 
had  4  children,  was  found  the  next  morning  near 
Hastings  ;  and  Andrews,  the  last  married  man,  who 
had  only  been  married  a  very  short  time,  was  found 
on  Wednesday  night,  the  31st  December,  in  the  same 
place.  It  was  a  great  gratification  to  the  poor 
widows  that  their  husbands'  bodies  have  been  found. 
We  saw  two  of  them  at  a  distance  the  other  day. 
They    are   all    very    decent-looking,    tidy    and    nice 

108 


1835]  VARIOUS    EMPLOYMENTS  109 

people.  At  a  J  to  12  we  went  out  walking  with 
Lehzen  till  1.  As  we  walked  along  by  the  towers 
we  met  Mrs.  Weeks,  one  of  the  widows,  with  her 
little  girl.  She  had  a  widow-cap  and  bonnet  on, 
and  a  Scotch  cloak.  She  looks  as  pale  as  death  but 
has  a  mild  sweet  expression.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  24>th  January. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got 
up  at  a  i  past  8.  At  J  past  9  we  breakfasted.  At 
10  came  the  Dean  till  20  minutes  to  11.  It  was 
yesterday  15  years  that  it  pleased  God  to  take  my 
most  beloved  Papa  from  us.  Alas  !  /  was  but  6 
months  when  this  affliction  came  upon  us  ;  and  I 
therefore  never  had  the  happiness  to  know  him.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  27th  January. — I  awoke  at  J  past  7, 
got  up  at  a  J  past  8.  At  J  past  9  we  breakfasted. 
At  1  we  lunched.  I  ought  to  have  mentioned  that 
besides  my  lessons  with  the  Dean  (and  also  when 
my  other  masters  come)  I  have  many  occupations 
with  Lehzen.  And  now,  though  we  are  all  in  the 
bustle  of  packing,  I  am  constantly  employed  by 
myself  in  various  ways  ;  and  I  read  French  History 
to  Lehzen,  and  one  of  Racine's  tragedies  with  her 
in  the  afternoons  which  I  delight  in.  I  love  to  be 
employed  ;    I  hate  to  be  idle.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  29th  January. — I  awoke  at  J  past  5 
and  got  up  at  7.  At  8  we  all  breakfasted.  At  a 
J  to  9  we  left  St.  Leonards.  Dear  Lehzen,  Lady 
Flora,  Lady  Conroy  &c.  following  in  another  carriage. 
All  our  acquaintances  were  out  to  see  us  go  (except 
Mr.  and  Lady  Mary  Dundas).  .  .  .  For  some  reasons 
I  am  sorry  we  have  left  St.  Leonards,  which  are,  the 
nice  walks,  the  absence  of  fogs,  and  looking  out  of 
my  window  and  seeing  the  people  walk  on  the 
esplanade,  and  seeing  the  sun  rise  and  set,  which 
was  quite  beautiful.     The  rising  began  by  the  sky 


110  BACK    TO    KENSINGTON  [*t.i5 

being  quite  pink  and  blending  softly  into  a  bright 
blue,  and  the  sun  rose  by  degrees  from  a  little  red 
streak  to  a  ball  of  red  copper.  The  setting  began 
by  the  whole  horizon  being  orange,  crimson  and 
blue,  and  the  sun  sunk  down  a  ball  of  fiery  gold 
dyeing  the  sands  crim.son.  But  then  again  my  reasons 
for  not  being  sorry  to  go  are,  my  not  sleeping  well 
there,  my  not  having  been  well,  and  the  roaring  of 
the  sea.  We  changed  horses  first  at  Battle,  then  at 
Stony  Crouch,  then  at  Woodgate,  which  was  quite 
near  dear  Tunbridge,  then  at  Sevenoaks,  and  lastly 
at  Bromley.  We  reached  Kensington  Palace  at 
5.  My  room  is  very  prettily  newly  papered,  newly 
furnished,  and  has  a  new  carpet,  and  looks  very 
pretty  indeed.  Our  bedroom  also  newly  papered 
and  furnished  and  looks  very  nice  and  clean.  Pedro 
and  my  dear  little  wax-bills  came  quite  safe.  Dear 
Dashy  was  in  our  carriage  and  behaved  like  a 
darling.  .  .  . 

Monday,  Qth  April. — The  melancholy  news  were 
received  yesterday  of  the  death  of  the  Prince  Au- 
gustus, Duke  of  Leuchtenberg,*  which  happened  on 
the  28th  of  March.  It  is  a  most  lamentable  and 
dreadful  event.  His  Royal  Highness  was  in  his 
25th  year,  and  in  the  flower  of  his  age.  Young, 
amiable,  good  and  well-meaning ;  for  since  his 
arrival  at  Lisbon  he  had  won  the  hearts  of  many 
by  his  affability  and  good-nature.  He  caught  a 
cold,  which  he  neglected  and  it  ended  in  the  quinsy. 
It  is  really  quite  dreadful  for  the  poor  young  Queen, 
who  is  now  left  a  widow  at  the  early  age  of  16  !  Her 
Majesty  completed  her  16th  year  on  the  4th  of  this 
month.  It  is  likewise  dreadful  for  his  amiable  and 
accomplished  sister  the  young  Empress-widow,  who 

^j^Brother  of  the  Duchess  of  Braganza.     See  ante,  p.  86. 


1835]  OPERA    AND   OPERA    SINGERS  111 

is  still  in  mourning  for  her  husband,  Dom  Pedro; 
and  also  dreadful  for  his  mother,  the  Duchess  of 
Leuchtenberg.  Not  two  months  ago  he  was  seen 
leading  his  young  bride  from  the  altar,  and  now 
all  that  prospect  of  happiness  is  cut  off !  .  .  . 

Saturday,  2nd  May. — .  .  .  At  6  we  dined.  Lady 
Flora  dined  here.  At  a  \  past  7  we  went  to  the  opera 
with  dear  Lehzen  and  Lady  Flora.  It  was  Rossini's 
opera  seria  of  Otello  in  3  acts.  The  characters 
were  :  Desdemona,  Mdlle.  Grisi,  who  looked  beauti- 
ful and  sung  most  exquisitely  and  acted  beau- 
tifully. She  personates  the  meek  and  ill-treated 
Desdemona  in  a  most  "perfect  and  touching  manner. 
Elmiro  (a  Venetian  patrician  and  father  to  Desde- 
mona), Signor  Lablache  who  sang  and  acted  beauti- 
fully. .  .  .  The  finest  parts  are  :  the  song  which  Otello 
sings  in  the  1st  scene  of  the  1st  act,  and  which  Rubini 
sang  beautifully.  The  duet  between  lago  and 
Roderigo  in  the  1st  act  which  Tamburini  and  Ivanoff 
sang  beautifully  together.  The  song  which  Desde- 
mona sings  when  she  first  comes  on  in  the  first  act, 
which  begins  "  Stanca  di  piii  combattere,"  and 
which  Grisi  sung  most  exquisitely !  (It  is  not  by 
Rossini ;  it  is  composed  expressly  for  Grisi  by 
Marliani.)  The  Finale  to  the  1st  act  which  com- 
mences with  that  beautiful  trio,  "  Ti  parli  I'amore," 
between  Elmiro,  Roderigo,  and  Desdemona,  which 
Lablache,  Ivanoff  and  Grisi  sang  most  beautifully. 
It  was  enchored.  And  when  Otello  comes  on  and 
declares  her  to  be  his  wife  and  Elmiro  in  his  rage 
exclaims  :  "  Empia  !  ti  maledico  !  "  and  which 
Lablache  did  in  a  manner  most  splendid  while 
Desdemona  falls  at  his  feet.  The  Duet  between 
lago  and  Otello  in  the  2nd  act  which  Tamburini  and 
Rubini  sang  most  beautifully.     The   duet  between 


112  ARRIVAL   AT    WINDSOR  [^t.i5 

Roderigo  and  Otello  which  follows  it  and  which 
was  likewise  beautifully  sung.  When  Desdemona 
enquires  from  the  people  if  Otello  (who  had  fought 
with  Roderigo)  still  lives,  and  when  she  exclaims 
in  delight :  "  Altro  non  chiede  il  cor,"  and  which 
Grisi  did  in  a  most  splendid  manner ;  and  when 
at  the  end  of  the  3rd  act  she  kneels  before  her  father 
and  says,  "  L'error  d'un  infelice  pietoso  in  me  per- 
dona  :  Se  il  padre  m'abbandona,  da  chi  sperar 
pieta  ?  "  which  she  did  in  a  most  touching  manner. 
The  song  in  the  3rd  act  with  the  harp  which  Grisi 
sung  most  beautifully,  as  also  the  prayer  ;  and  when 
Otello  comes  on  to  stab  her  and  she  reproaches 
him  exclaiming :  "  Uccidimi  se  vuoi,  perfido,  in- 
grato  "  ;  which  Grisi  did  in  such  a  mild  and  pathetic 
manner.  He  then  stabs  her  and  immediately  after- 
wards himself.  Grisi  and  Rubini  were  called  out 
and  were  loudly  applauded.  We  came  in  before 
the  overture  was  begun  and  came  away  directly 
after  the  opera  was  over.  It  is  a  beautiful  opera 
and  I  like  it  much  better  than  Anna  Boulena.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  6th  May. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up 
at  8.  At  a  J  past  9  we  breakfasted.  At  11  we  set 
off  with  Lady  Flora  and  Lehzen  for  Windsor  Castle, 
where  we  arrived  at  J  past  1.  At  2  we  all  lunched  ; 
that  is  to  say,  besides  the  Queen,  the  Landgravine,' 
and  us  two, — the  Duchess  of  Northumberland,  Lady 
Brownlow,'  Lady  Sophia  Cust,  Lady  De  Lisle,'  Lady 

1  Princess  Elizabeth  (1770-1840),  daughter  of  George  III.,  widow 
of  Frederick,  Landgrave  of  Hesse-Homburg.  This  Princess  settled 
down  into  an  atmosphere  of  venerated  old  age  at  Homburg.  A  statue 
was  recently  erected  there  and  unveiled  by  the  German  Emperor  to 
commemorate  her  virtues. 

2  Emma  Sophia,  daughter  of  the  second  Earl  of  Movmt  Edgcvunbe, 
second  wife  of  John,  first  Earl  Brownlow. 

2  Daughter  of  William  IV.  Her  husband  had  been  raised  to  the 
Peerage  in  Jan.  1835.     See  ante,  p.  99. 


1835]  LIFE    AT    WINDSOR  113 

Falkland,'  Lady  Flora,  Lehzen,  the  Baroness  de 
Stein,  Miss  Mitchel,  Miss  Hudson,  Lord  Howe,^  and 
Lord  Denbigh.^  At  J  past  2  we  went  out  walking 
with  the  Queen,  the  Duchess  of  Northumberland, 
Lady  Flora,  Lady  Sophia  Cust,  Lehzen,  Miss  Mitchel 
and  Miss  Hudson,  Lord  Howe,  Lord  Denbigh,  Lord 
Brownlow,  and  Sir  Andrew  Bernard.  We  walked 
to  Adelaide  Cottage  *  and  all  got  into  carriages  except 
the  gentlemen  who  rode.  The  Queen,  Mamma,  the 
Duchess  and  I  were  in  one  carriage,  and  all  the  rest 
followed  in  others.  We  came  home  at  6.  At  |  past 
7   we   dined.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  7th  May. —  ...  At  12  we  went  all 
over  the  Castle  with  the  King,  the  Queen,  the  Land- 
gravine, the  Duchess,  Lady  Brownlow,  Lady  Flora, 
Lehzen,  Miss  Mitchel,  Lord  Howe,  Lord  Denbigh, 
Lord  Brownlow,  and  Sir  Andrew  Bernard.  .  .  . 

Friday,  Sth  May. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up  at  8. 
At  J  past  8  we  breakfasted.  The  Queen  came  and 
sat  with  us  at  breakfast.  At  J  past  9  we  left  Windsor 
with  Lady  Flora  and  Lehzen.  I  was  very  much 
pleased  there,  as  both  my  Uncle  and  Aunt  are  so 
very  kind  to  me.  .  .  . 

Monday,  18th  May. —  ...  At  7  we  3  dined. 
J  past  9  we  went  into  the  first  large  room  (as  in  the 
preceding  parties)   and  received  the  company   (the 

1  Another  daughter  of  William  IV.,  wife  of  Lucius,  tenth  Viscount 
Falkland. 

2  Richard  William  Penn  (1796-1870),  first  Earl  Howe,  Chamberlain 
to  Queen  Adelaide.  He  was  believed  to  have  encoiiraged  her  in  inciting 
the  King  against  the  Ministry  of  Lord  Grey. 

8  William  Basil  Percy,  seventh  Earl  of  Denbigh.     See  ante,  p.  99. 

*  Adelaide  Cottage,  built  for  Queen  Adelaide,  but  never  occupied 
by  her  except  as  a  tea-house.  It  has  been  used  ever  since  by  succes- 
sive Sovereigns  for  a  similar  purpose.  The  Cottage  stands  surrounded 
by  charming  gardens  in  the  eastern  corner  of  the  private  grounds  of 
Windsor  Castle. 
1—9 


114  GRISI:    RUBINI      TAMBURINI  [^et.  15 

list  of  which  is  adjoined).  The  singers  which  were 
Grisi,  Rubini,  Ivanoff,  Tamburini,  Lablache/  and 
Costa  ^  for  the  piano,  had  just  arrived.  Our  people 
were  the  same  as  the  other  day.  When  all  the 
company  had  arrived  which  was  at  J  past  10,  we  all 
went  into  the  other  room  which  was  arranged  with 
chairs  all  across  the  room  for  the  people  to  sit  on. 
We  were  in  the  first  row  with  Aunt  Sophia  and  the 
Duchess  of  Cambridge  and  quite  close  to  the  piano. 
Grisi  is  quite  beautiful  off  the  stage.  She  is  not  tall, 
and  rather  pale  ;  and  she  has  such  a  lovely  mild 
expression  in  her  face.  Her  face  and  neck  has  such 
a  beautiful  soft  shape.  She  has  such  beautiful  dark 
eyes  with  fine  long  eyelashes,  a  fine  nose,  and  very 
sweet  mouth.  She  was  dressed  in  a  white  flowered 
silk,  with  blonde  trimmings  about  the  body  and 
sleeves  which  reached  to  the  elbows.  Her  beautiful 
dark  hair  was  as  usual  quite  flat  in  front  with  an 
amethyst  bandeau  round  it,  and  a  fine  plait  at  the 
very  back  of  her  head.  She  is  very  quiet,  ladylike 
and  unaffected  in  her  manners.  I  spoke  to  her, 
and  she  answered  in  a  very  pleasing  manner.  She 
has  a  very  pretty  expression  when  she  speaks. 
Rubini  is  short  and  not  good-looking.  Ivanoff  is 
also  very  short  and  has  a  very  singular  Calmuck  face. 
Tamburini  is  short  but  very  good-looking  and  gentle- 
manlike.    Lablache  does  not  look  so  tall  off  the  stage 

^  Luigi  Lablache  (1794-1868),  a  first-rate  comedian  and  the  finest 
bass  singer  of  his  time.  He  made  his  d^but  in  London  in  1830,  in 
Cimarosa's  opera  II  Matrimonio  Segreto.  He  taught  Princess  Victoria 
singing,  and  of  all  her  teachers  he  was  the  favourite. 

*  Michael  (afterwards  Sir  Michael)  Costa,  for  many  years  the  con- 
ductor of  the  orchestra  at  Covent  Garden.  His  musical  taste  was 
considerable,  but  he  was  famous  for  his  dominating  personality,  the 
hauteur  of  his  demeanoxir,  and  above  all  for  the  perfect  fit  of  his  spotless 
white  gloves. 


1835]  A    CONCERT  115 

as  he  does  on  it,  and  is  likewise  very  gentlemanlike. 
The  concert  began  with  a  trio  from  UAssiedo  di 
Corrinto,  "  Destin  terribile "  ;  Grisi,  Rubini  and 
Ivanoff  sang  beautifully.  Then  Tamburini  sang 
"  Sorgete  "  from  VAssiedo  beautifully.  After  this 
Lablache  sang  "  Dove  vai  ?  "  from  Guillaume  Tell 
beautifully.  Then  Grisi  sang  "  Tanti  affetti,"  an 
aria  from  the  Donna  del  Lago,  most  beautifully. 
Her  lovely  voice  sounds  beautiful  in  a  room. 
Lablache  and  Tamburini  then  sang  "  II  rival  salvar 
tu  dei  "  most  beautifully.  It  is  from  /  Puritani. 
They  sing  beautifully  together.  Their  two  fine 
voices  go  so  well  together.  Lablache's  voice  is 
immensely  powerful  but  not  too  much  so  (for  my 
taste),  even  in  a  room.  Tamburini's  too  is  most 
splendid.  He  is  even  a  more  skilful  and  finished 
singer  than  Lablache.  Then  came  a  trio  "  Allor 
che  Scorre  "  from  Guillaume  Tell,  between  Rubini, 
Tamburini  and  Lablache,  which  they  sang  likewise 
extremely  well.  This  ended  the  1st  act.  Near  the 
end  of  the  1st  act  Mme.  Malibran  arrived.  She  was 
dressed  in  white  satin  with  a  scarlet  hat  and  feathers. 
She  is  shorter  than  Grisi  and  not  near  so  pretty.  We 
went  into  the  refreshment  room  between  the  acts. 
We  then  sat  down  again  and  the  2nd  act  began  with 
a  most  lovely  polonaise,  "  Son  Vergin  vezzosa  "  from 
/  Puritani,  which  Grisi  sang  most  exquisitely,  accom- 
panied by  all  the  singers  except  Malibran.  Then 
Grisi  and  Tamburini  sang  "  Che  veggo  oh  Ciel," 
from  UAssiedo  most  beautifully  together.  Mali- 
bran then  sang  a  song  by  Persiani  very  well.  Her 
low  notes  are  beautiful,  but  her  high  notes  are  thick 
and  not  clear.  /  like  Grisi  by  far  better  than 
her.  Then  Grisi  and  Rubini  sang  a  beautiful  duet 
"  Artuor   dove   sai "    from    /    Puritani    by    Bellini, 


116  SIXTEENTH    BIRTHDAY  [^t.  i6 

beautifully.  His  voice  is  delightful  in  a  room.  It 
is  so  sweet  and  so  full  of  expression.  Malibran  and 
Lablache  then  sang  a  buff  a  duet  "  Con  pazienza 
supportiamo,"  by  Fioravente,  beautifully.  Lablache 
is  so  funny  and  so  amusing.  Lablache  then  sang  a 
Neapolitan  air  (a  buffa  song)  of  his  own  composition 
and  accompanying  himself,  delightfully.  Then  came 
a  quartet  "  A  te  oh  caro  !  "  from  the  Puritani,  which 
Grisi,  Rubini,  Tamburini,  and  Lablache  sung  beauti- 
fully. This  ended  the  most  delightful  concert  I  ever 
heard.  Aunt  Sophia,  who  had  never  heard  any  of 
these  singers  before,  was  delighted  ;  but  no  one  could 
be  more  enchanted  than  /  was.  I  shall  never  forget 
it.  It  was  Mamma's  birthday  present  for  me ! 
Costa  accompanied  on  the  piano  beautifully.  I  stayed 
up  till  20  minutes  past  1.  I  was  most  exceedingly 
delighted.  .  .   . 

Sunday,  2Uh  May. — Today  is  my  16th  birthday  ! 
How  very  old  that  sounds  ;  but  I  feel  that  the  two 
years  to  come  till  I  attain  my  18th  are  the  most 
important  of  any  almost.  I  now  only  begin  to  appre- 
ciate my  lessons,  and  hope  from  this  time  on,  to  make 
great  progress.  I  awoke  at  J  past  6.  Mamma  got 
up  soon  after  and  gave  me  a  lovely  brooch  made 
of  her  own  hair,  a  letter  from  herself,  one  from 
dearest  Feodore  with  a  nosegay,  and  a  drawing 
and  a  pair  of  slippers  done  by  her.  I  gave  her  a 
drawing  I  had  done.  Dear  Lehzen  gave  me  a  lovely 
little  leather  box  with  knives,  pencils  &c.  in  it,  two 
small  dictionaries  and  a  very  pretty  print  of  Mdlle. 
Taglioni.  Mamma  gave  her  a  pair  of  amethyst 
earrings  and  I  gave  her  a  penholder  and  a  drawing 
done  by  myself.  My  maids  Frances  and  Caroline 
gave  me  a  pincushion  done  by  Frances  and  a  porte- 
folio  done  by  Caroline.     Anne  Mason  (Lehzen's  maid) 


1835]  BIRTHDAY    PRESENTS  117 

gave  a  small  flower  vase  with  flowers.  Dashy  gave 
an  ivory  basket  with  barley-sugar  and  chocolate. 
At  9  we  breakfasted.  I  then  received  my  table. 
From  my  dear  Mamma  I  received  a  lovely  enamel 
bracelet  with  her  hair,  a  pair  of  fine  china  vases,  a 
lovely  shawl  and  some  English  and  Italian  books. 
From  dearest  Feodore  a  lovely  enamel  bracelet  with 
hers  and  the  children's  hair ;  from  Charles  some 
pretty  prints  ;  from  Spath  a  very  pretty  case  for 
handkerchiefs  embroidered  in  silver  ;  from  Sir  Robert 
and  Lady  Gardiner  a  very  pretty  sort  of  china  vase  ; 
from  Sir  J.  Conroy  a  writing-case  ;  from  the  whole 
Conroy  family  some  prints  ;  and  from  Mr.  George 
Hayter  a  beautiful  drawing  done  by  him.  I  quite  for- 
got to  say  that  I  received  a  beautiful  pair  of  sapphire 
and  diamond  earrings  from  the  King  and  a  beautiful 
prayer-book  and  very  kind  letter  from  the  Queen. 
I  also  received  a  prayer-book  from  a  bookseller  of 
the  name  of  Hatchard.  At  10  we  went  down  to 
prayers  with  Lehzen  and  Charles.  The  service  was 
performed  by  the  Dean  who  gave  us  likewise  a  very 
good  sermon.  It  was  taken  from  the  24th  chapter 
of  Joshua,  15th  verse  :  "  And  if  it  seem  evil  unto  you 
to  serve  the  Lord,  choose  ye  this  day  whom  ye  will 
serve  ;  but  as  for  me  and  my  house  we  will  serve 
the  Lord."  After  church,  I  received  a  Bible  from  Sir 
F.  Trench  ^  with  a  picture  of  Norris  Castle  painted 
on  the  margin  ;  and  also  two  small  oil  pictures  from 
an  old  Mrs.  Pakenham,  done  by  a  Mr.  King.  I  also 
saw  Mrs.  Brock,  Sarah  (my  former  maid),  and  Mrs. 

^  General  Sir  Frederick  Trench  had  served  in  Sicily  and  in  the 
Walcheren  expedition,  and  was  afterwards  Aide-de-Camp  to  George  IV. 
He  was  M.P.  for  Scarborough  at  this  time.  A  man  of  discernment 
and  taste.  He  advocated  a  scheme  for  making  an  embankment 
along  the  Thames  from  Charing  Cross  to  Blackfriars.  He  was 
half  a  century  ahead  of  his  contemporaries ! 
1—9* 


118  MORE    PRESENTS  ^-et.ig 

Fletcher  (our  former  housekeeper).  At  a  J  to  1  came 
Aunt  Sophia  who  gave  me  with  Aunt  Gloucester 
a  very  pretty  diamond  brooch.  At  1  we  lunched. 
At  J  past  2  came  the  Duchess  of  Northumberland, 
who  gave  me  a  very  fine  fillagree  ornament  in 
the  shape  of  a  flower,  and  another  little  fillagree 
ornament  from  Miss  Wynn.  Lady  Flora,  who 
gave  me  a  pretty  paper-knife  and  penholder  of 
jasper  from  Arthur's  Seat,  the  rock  which  overhangs 
Edinburgh.  Lady  Theresa,  who  gave  me  a  small 
pocket-book  of  her  own  work.  Lady  Catherine, 
who  gave  me  a  very  fine  velvet  Music-book.  Lady 
Cust,  who  gave  me  a  very  fine  japanned  box.  Sir 
G.  Anson  who  gave  me  a  print ;  Sir  Frederick 
Wetherall,  who  gave  me  a  little  china  scent-bottle. 
Lady  Conroy,  Jane,  and  Victoire.  At  3  came  the 
Duke  of  Sussex,  who  gave  me  a  gold  bracelet  with 
turquoises  ;  and  soon  after  Lady  Charlotte  St.  Maur 
who  gave  me  a  purse  of  her  own  work.  At  a  J  past 
3  came  the  Landgravine  who  gave  me  a  head-orna- 
ment of  emeralds,  and  Aunt  Augusta,  who  gave  me 
a  chrisoprase  bracelet.  At  4  came  the  Duchess  of 
Cambridge,^  who  brought  me  a  lovely  turquoise 
bracelet  from  Uncle  Cambridge,  and  gave  me  a  box 
with  sandal-wood  instruments  in  it ;  Augusta  who 
gave  me  a  small  turquoise  ring  ;    and  George  who 


1  Aiigusta,  youngest  daughter  of  the  Landgrave  Frederick  of  Hesse, 
She  was  married  to  H.R.H.  the  Duke  of  Cambridge  in  1818.  "I  am 
the  happiest  of  men,"  wrote  the  Duke  to  Lady  Harcovirt  from  Cassel, 
soon  after  his  engagement,  and  he  added,  "  The  Princess  is  really  every- 
thing both  as  to  heart,  mind  and  person  that  I  could  wish."  There 
never  was  a  happier  marriage.  This  Princess  was  the  mother  of 
George,  Duke  of  Cambridge,  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  British  Armies, 
of  the  Dowager  Grand  Duchess  of  Mecklenburg-Strelitz,  and  of  Princess 
Mary,  Duchess  of  Teck.  She  was  the  grandmother  of  Queen  Mary, 
and  died,  regretted  by  all,  in  1889. 


1835] 


ETON    MONTEM  119 


gave  me  an  album  with  a  drawing  of  his  in  it.  At 
20  minutes  to  5  we  drove  out  with  Lehzen  and 
Charles.  At  7  we  dined,  Lady  Flora,  Lady  Conroy, 
Jane,  Victoire,  Messrs  E.  and  H.,  and  Sir  J.  Conroy 
dined  here.  After  dinner  came  Aunt  Sophia.  Mdlle. 
David  (sister  to  Mme.  Dulcken)  played  on  the  piano. 
I  stayed  up  till  J  past  9.  My  dear  Mamma's  great 
present  was  that  delicious  concert  which  I  shall 
never  forget.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  9th  June. — I  awoke  at  J  past  8  and  got 
up  soon  after.  At  J  past  9  we  breakfasted  with  the 
King,  the  Queen,  Charles,  the  Duchess  of  Northumber- 
land, Lady  Brownlow,  Lady  Catherine,  and  Lehzen. 
At  J  past  10  we  went  with  the  whole  party  to  Eton 
College  to  see  Eton  Montem.  In  the  first  carriage 
were  the  King,  the  Duke  of  Cumberland,  the  Duke  of 
Cambridge,  and  George,  who  had  all  3  just  arrived  ; 
in  the  2nd,  the  Queen,  Mamma,  I,  and  Charles ; 
in  the  3rd,  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Northumberland 
and  Lady  Brownlow  ;  in  the  4th  Lord  and  Lady 
Denbigh  ;  in  the  5th  Lady  Sophia  Cust,  Lady  De 
Lisle,  Miss  Eden,  and  Mr.  Schiffner ;  in  the  6th 
Lord  and  Lady  Frederick  Fitzclarence  and  their 
daughter ;  in  the  7th  Lehzen,  Miss  Hudson,  and 
Miss  Wilson.  All  the  other  gentlemen  rode.  This 
is  as  near  as  I  can  remember.  We  were  received 
by  the  Provost  ^  and  Dr.  Hawtrey.^     We  then  went 

1  Joseph  Goodall  (1760-1840),  Provost  of  Etonfor  thirty-one  years. 
An  excellent  but  obscure  scholar.  It  was  his  misfortiuie  to  be  the 
nominal  superior  of  Dr.  Keate.  He  had  the  temerity  on  one  occasion 
at  Windsor,  in  the  presence  of  William  IV.,  to  tell  Sir  Henry  HaKord, 
who  was  vain  of  his  scholarship  and  fond  of  quoting  Latin,  that  he 
ought  to  be  whipped  for  having  made  a  false  quantity. 

2  Dr.  Hawtrey  (1789-1862),  Headmaster  of  Eton  for  18  years,  he 
then  presided  over  the  college  as  Provost  for  another  10.  A  pro- 
found and  elegant  scholar,  a  man  of  lofty  ideals,  intrepid  soul  and 


120  VIRGINIA    WATER  [;et.16 

into  the  yard  under  a  sort  of  veranda  and  saw  all 
the  boys  pass  by  which  was  a  very  pretty  sight. 
Some  of  the  costumes  were  very  pretty.  Some  were 
dressed  like  Greeks,  some  like  archers,  others  like 
Scotchmen,  &c.  We  then  went  into  the  Provost's 
house,  and  from  thence  saw  the  boy  wave  the  standard. 
We  also  saw  the  Library  which  is  very  curious  and 
old.  Eton  College  was  founded  by  King  Henry  the 
Sixth.  We  then  re-entered  our  carriages  and  drove 
to  Salt  Hill  where  we  again  saw  the  standard  waved 
by  the  boy.  We  then  drove  home.  The  heat  the 
whole  time  was  tremendous.  We  came  home  at 
J  past  1.  At  2  we  lunched  with  the  King,  the  Queen, 
the  Dukes  of  Cumberland  and  Cambridge,  George, 
the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Northumberland,  Lord 
and  Lady  Brownlow,  Lady  Denbigh,  Lady  De  Lisle, 
Lady  Sophia  Cust,  Lady  Frederick  Fitzclarence, 
Lord  Howe,  Lady  Catherine,  and  Lehzen.  At  4  we 
went  out  driving.  The  Queen,  Mamma,  I  and  Charles 
were  in  the  first  carriage  ;  the  Duke  and  Duchess 
of  Northumberland  and  Lord  and  Lady  Brownlow 
in  the  2nd  ;  Lord  Denbigh  and  Miss  Eden  in  the 
3rd  ;  and  Lady  Catherine  and  Lehzen  in  the  4th. 
We  drove  to  the  Virginia  Waters.  We  went  on  the 
water  there,  and  at  a  J  to  6  re-entered  the  carriages 
and  reached  home  at  7.  We  went  on  the  steps  before 
the  Castle  and  saw  all  the  boys  and  many  other 
people  walking  on  the  terrace.  They  cheered  the 
King  and  Queen  very  loudly,  and  me  also.  At  8  we 
dined.  We  went  in  to  dinner  in  the  same  way  as 
yesterday  and  the  dinner-party  was  the  same,  only 
that  Lord  and  Lady  Frederick  were  not  there.     The 

warm  heart,  he  raised  the  tone  of  mtisters  and  boys  by  sheer  force  of 
his  delightful  personality.  He  doubled  the  numbers  of  the  school  as 
well  as  its  efiBciency  and  influence. 


1835]  GRISI    AND    HER    DRESS  121 

Dukes  of  Cumberland  and  Cambridge  and  George 
had  left  the  Castle  after  luncheon.  I  stayed  up  till 
a  J  past  10.  .  .  . 

Tuesday^   lUh  July. — At  11  came  the  Dean  till 
12.    -At  12  came  Mr.  Westall  till  1.     At  1  we  lunched. 
The  Duchess  of  Northumberland  was  present  at  the 
first  lesson.     At  J  past  2   I  sat  to  Mr.   Collen  till 
J  past  3.     At  a  J  to  4  came  the  Dean  till  a  J  past  4. 
At  5  we  went  out  with  Lehzen  and  came  home  at  6. 
At  a  J  to  7  we  dined.     Lady  Theresa  dined  here.     At 
8  we  went  to  the  opera  with  Lady  Theresa  and  Lehzen. 
It  was  the  dear  Puritani.     Grisi  was  in  perfect  voice 
and  sang  and  acted  beautifully ;  but  I  must  say  that 
she  shows  her  many  fatigues  in  her  face,  and  she  is 
certainly  much  thinner  than  when  she  arrived.     It 
is  a  great  pity  too  that  she  now  wears  her  front  hair 
so  much  lower  than  she  did.     It  is  no  improvement 
to  her  appearance,  though  (do  what  she  may)  spoil 
her  face  she  never  can,  it  is  too  lovely  for  that.     And 
besides,   she  forgot  to   change   her  dress   when   she 
came  on  to  sing  the  Polacca.     In  general  she  comes 
on  to  sing  that  as  a  bride,  attired  in  a  white  satin 
dress  with  a  wreath  of  white  roses  round  her  head  ; 
instead   of   which    she   remained   in   her   first   dress 
(likewise  very  pretty)  of  blue  satin  with  a  little  sort 
of  handkerchief  at  the  back  of  her  head.     Lablache, 
Tamburini  and  Rubini  were  also  all  3  in  high  good 
voice.     The  exquisite  quartet  "A  te  o  cara  "  and 
the  lovely  Polacca  "Son  vergin  vezzosa"  were  both 
encored  as  was  also  the   splendid   duet   "  II   rival." 
After  the  opera  was  over,  Grisi,  Rubini,  Lablache, 
and  Tamburini  came  out  and  were  loudly  applauded. 
The  two  last  always  make  a  separate  bow  to  our  box, 
which    is    very    amusing    to    see.     We    came    away 
immediately  after  the  opera  was  over,  for  the  ballet 


122  DEATH    OF    COUNTESS    MENSDORFF  [^r.ie 

is  not  worth  seeing  since  La  Deesse  de  la  Danse  has 
flown  back  to  Paris  again.  She  appeared  for  the 
last  time  on  Saturday  the  4th  of  this  month.  We 
came  home  at  10  minutes  to  12.  I  was  highly 
amused  and  pleased  !  We  came  in  while  Tamburini 
was  singing  his  song,  which  is  just  before  the  lovely 
duet  between  Grisi  and  Lablache.  .  .  . 

Monday,    20th    July. — I    awoke    at    7.     Mamma 
told   me   this   morning   that   she   had   received   the 
melancholy  news  last  night  of  the  death  of  my  dear 
Aunt  Sophie,  Countess  Mensdorff,^  who  was  here  now 
nearly  two  years  ago.     It  is  so  sudden  and  unexpected 
that  we  were  ve7'y  much  shocked,  surprised  and  dis- 
tressed at  the  sad  news.     My  poor  dear  Aunt  had 
been  for  many  years  in  very  bad  health,  and  when 
she  visited  us  she  was  unable  to  walk  alone  almost ; 
but  as  we  had  not  heard  that  she  was  unwell  even,  it 
startled  and  shocked  us  very  much.     She  went  from 
Prague,  already  very  unwell,  in  spite  of  Uncle  Mens- 
dorff's  efforts  to  prevent  her,  to  visit  her  youngest 
son  Arthur  who  was  in  his  garrison  in  a  wretched 
little  village  in  Bohemia,  and  it  was  there,  far  from 
her  relations  (except  Uncle  Mensdorff  and  Arthur), 
without  any  of  the  comforts  which  she  was  accus- 
tomed to,  in  a  poor  sort  of  cottage,  that  she  breathed 
her  last !     My  poor  dear  Aunt,  I  feel  this  loss  very 
deeply.     The  more  so  for  having  seen  her  here  !    At 
J  past  9  we  breakfasted.     At  10  we  walked  out  with 
Lehzen  till  J  past  10.     The  melancholy  event  hap- 
pened on  the  8th  of  this  month  1  I  feel  the  loss  of  my 
dear  Aunt  very  deeply  !    Though  I  should  be  equally 
sad  at  losing  her,  had  I  not  known  her,  because  all 
Mamma's    relations   are    dear   to    me ;     but   having 

1  Countess  Mensdorff  was   the  sister  of   the  Duchess  of  Kent,  a 
Princess  of  Saxe-Coburg.     See  ante,  p.  95. 


1835]  SAD    DETAILS  123 

seen  her,  having  lived  with  her  in  the  same  house 
for  more  than  a  week,  having  been  in  her  room  and 
seen  her  at  her  occupations,  and  having  experienced 
her  great  kindness  to  me  personally,  makes  it  more 
striking  still,  and  makes  me  feel  the  weight  of  the 
loss  we  have  experienced  more.  At  1  we  lunched. 
At  5  we  drove  out  in  the  country  with  Lehzen  till  7. 
At  I  past  7  we  dined.  I  stayed  up  till  a  J  past  9. 
We  passed  a  very  sad  evening.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  23rd  July. —  .  .  .  Mamma  received 
this  afternoon  a  letter  from  Uncle  Ernest  enclosing 
the  copy  of  one  written  by  dear  Uncle  Mensdorff, 
giving  all  the  sad  details  about  my  poor  dear  Aunt. 
I  fear  her  sufferings  must  have  been  very  severe  at 
first  and  during  her  illness  ;  but  at  the  last  she  seems 
to  have  had  no  suffering,  no  struggle.  Her  last 
moment  was  so  quiet  that  Uncle  Mensdorff  thought 
she  slept,  and  when  he  rose  at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
he  was  pleased  to  see  her  sleep  so  quietly  and  said 
to  his  servant  that  he  hoped  the  danger  was  over. 
Alas  !  how  different  was  it  really  !  My  Aunt's  maid 
went  into  the  room  and  perceiving  she  did  not 
breathe,  called  my  Uncle  in,  who  then  saw  the 
dreadful  truth  !  She  slept  truly,  but  she  slept  never 
more  to  wake  !  What  dear  Uncle's  feelings  were  at 
that  moment,  and  what  they  still  are,  may  be  well 
imagined  !  She  has  been  placed  temporarily  in  the 
vault  of  the  convent  of  the  Elisabetherin  Nuns,  at 
Kaden  in  Bohemia.  The  funeral  was  splendid. 
Thousands  came  from  far  and  near  and  all  her  former 
friends  followed  her  to  her  last  abode,  where  she  will 
suffer  no  more  grief  or  pain  !  Two  regiments  with 
their  bands  playing  the  funereal  music  followed 
and  all  the  Nuns  with  burning  tapers.  They  strewed 
the  coffin  with  flowers  when  it  entered  the  convent, 


124  CONFIRMATION  [mt.  i6 

and  ornamented  the  vault  in  the  same  manner.  It 
is  a  happiness  to  know  that  she  was  so  much  beloved. 
My  poor  dear  Aunt,  I  loved  her  dearly  and  feel  the 
loss  deeply.  Time  may  weaken,  but  it  can  never 
never  efface  the  recollection  of  this  loss.  I  shall  always 
try  to  do  what  I  can  to  please,  and  to  contribute  to 
the  happiness  of  dear  Uncle  Mensdorff  and  my  four 
cousins.  They  say  that  a  smile  was  imprinted  on  her 
countenance  when  she  died,  and  that  she  looked 
more  friendly  after  her  death  than  she  had  done 
some  time  previous  to  it.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  30th  July. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up 
at  8.  I  gave  Mamma  a  little  pin  and  drawing  done 
by  me  in  recollection  of  today.  I  gave  Lehzen  a 
ring,  also  in  recollection  of  today.  I  forgot  to  say 
that  Mamma  gave  me  3  little  books  yesterday,  two 
of  which  I  have  quite  read  through  and  the  third  in 
part.  They  are  A  Method  of  Preparation  for  Con- 
firmation, by  William  Hale  Hale ;  An  Address  to 
the  Candidates  for  Confirmation,  by  Dr.  John  Kaye, 
Bishop  of  Lincoln;  and  An  Address  to  the  Students 
of  Eton  College  who  are  about  to  present  themselves 
for  Confirmation  in  1833.  They  are  all  3  very  nice 
books.  At  a  J  past  9  we  breakfasted.  I  forgot  to 
say  that  dear  Lehzen  gave  me  4  very  pretty  prints 
of  religious  subjects.  At  J  past  11  we  went  with 
Lady  Flora,  Lehzen,  the  Dean  &c.  to  St.  James's 
where  I  was  to  be  confirmed.  I  felt  that  my  confirma- 
tion was  one  of  the  most  solemn  and  important  events 
and  acts  in  my  life  ;  and  that  I  trusted  that  it  might 
have  a  salutary  effect  on  my  mind.  I  felt  deeply 
repentant  for  all  what  I  had  done  which  was  wrong 
and  trusted  in  God  Almighty  to  strengthen  my  heart 
and  mind  ;  and  to  forsake  all  that  is  bad  and  follow 
all  that  is  virtuous  and  right.     I  went  with  the  firm 


1835]  THE    CEREMONY  125 

determination  to  become  a  true  Christian,  to  try 
and  comfort  my  dear  Mamma  in  all  her  griefs,  trials 
and  anxieties,  and  to  become  a  dutiful  and  affection- 
ate daughter  to  her.  Also  to  be  obedient  to  dear 
Lehzen  who  has  done  so  much  for  me.  I  was  dressed 
in  a  white  lace  dress,  with  a  white  crape  bonnet  with 
a  wreath  of  white  roses  round  it.  I  went  in  the 
chariot  with  my  dear  Mamma  and  the  others  followed 
in  another  carriage.  We  went  into  the  King's 
Closet  with  Lady  Flora  and  Lehzen,  where  we  were 
received  by  the  King  and  Queen.  The  Duke  and 
Duchess  of  Cambridge,  Aunt  Sophia,  the  Duke  of 
Cumberland,  the  Duchess  of  Weimar,^  the  Duchess 
of  Northumberland,  the  Marquis  of  Conjmgham, 
Earl  Denbigh,  Mr.  Ashley,  the  Duke  of  Northumber- 
land &c.,  were  also  there.  We  then  went  with  all 
into  the  Royal  Pew  in  the  Chapel.  The  usual  morn- 
ing service  was  performed  ;  after  which  we  all  went 
down  into  the  lower  part  of  the  Chapel.  The  King 
went  first  leading  me,  the  Queen  followed  leading 
Mamma,  and  all  the  others  followed  after.  I  stood 
without  the  rail  before  the  Altar,  between  the  King 
and  my  dear  Mamma.  The  Queen  and  all  the  rest 
went  into  pews  on  each  side  of  the  Altar.  The 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury  and  Bishop  of  London  ' 
stood  on  either  side  of  the  Altar.  I  took  off  my 
bonnet.  When  the  usual  address  had  been  read,  I 
(as  is  usual  for  all  to  do)  replied  "  I  do,"  and  then 

^  Grand  Duchess  Marie,  daughter  of  the  Emperor  Paul  I.  of  Russia, 
married  Charles  Frederick,  Grand  Duke  of  Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach,  in 
1804. 

'  Dr.  Charles  James  Blomfield  (1786-1857),  a  fine  scholar,  and  a 
Bishop  of  unusual  administrative  capacity.  His  influence  in  the 
Church  of  England,  both  as  Bishop  of  Chester  and  Bishop  of  London, 
was  second  to  none,  until  the  day  of  his  retirement  in  1856.  He  died 
at  Fulham  Palace  in  August  1857. 


126  JOYFUL    NEWS  [mt.i6 

knelt  down  and  received  the  benediction  from  the 
Archbishop.  The  whole  was  performed  by  the  Arch- 
bishop who  read  also  a  very  fine  address  to  me, 
composed  by  him  expressly  for  the  occasion.  He 
did  the  whole  very  well,  and  I  felt  the  whole  very 
deeply.  My  dear  Mamma  was  very  much  affected  by 
the  whole.  We  went  away  from  the  Altar  in  the 
same  way  as  we  came  and  then  went  into  the  Closet 
again  ;  where  the  King  gave  me  a  very  handsome 
set  of  emeralds,  and  the  Queen  a  head-piece  of  the 
same  kind.  We  then  drove  home.  We  came  home 
at  a  J  to  2.  I  was  very  much  affected  indeed  when 
we  came  home.  My  dear  Mamma  gave  me  a  very 
lovely  bracelet  with  her  hair  in  it,  and  a  very  pretty 
set  of  turquoises.  She  gave  dear  Lehzen  a  very 
pretty  bracelet.  W^e  received  the  joyful  news  this 
afternoon  that  mv  dearest  sister  Feodore  had  been 
safely  confined  on  the  20th  instant  with  a  daughter  ^ 
which  is  to  be  called  Adelaide,  Victoria,  Mary,  Louisa, 
Amelia,  Constance.  I  hope  to  God  that  both  Mother 
and  Child  will  continue  as  well  as  they  have  hitherto 
been.  At  6  we  dined.  At  7  we  drove  out  with 
Lehzen  till  J  past  8.  The  heat  continues  intense  ! 
I  stayed  up  till  |  past  9.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  2nd  August. — I  awoke  after  7  and  got 
up  at  J  past  8.  At  J  past  9  Lehzen  and  I  breakfasted. 
At  11  we  went  to  the  Chapel  with  Lady  Flora  and 
Lehzen.  The  Dean  performed  the  service  ;  and  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury  preached  a  very  fine 
sermon.  The  text  was  taken  from  the  5th  chapter 
of  the  2nd  epistle  of  St.  Paul  to  the  Corinthians, 
10th  verse  :  "  For  we  must  all  appear  before  the 
judgement  seat  of  Christ ;  that  every  one  may  receive 

1  She  married  in  1856  Diike  Frederick  of  Schleswig-Holstein,  and 
was  the  mother  of  the  present  German  Empress. 


1835]  FIRST    COMMUNION  127 

the  things  done  in  his  body,  according  to  that  he 
hath  done,  whether  it  be  good  or  bad."  After  the 
sermon  was  over  we  took  the  holy  sacrament  with 
Lady  Flora,  dear  Lehzen,  and  Sir  J.  C.  The  Arch- 
bishop and  the  Dean  administered  it  to  us.  It  was 
the  first  time  of  taking  it.  It  is  a  very  solemn  and 
impressive  ceremony  and  when  one  recollects  and 
thinks  that  we  take  it  in  remembrance  of  the  death 
of  our  blessed  Saviour,  one  ought,  nay  must  feel 
deeply  impressed  with  holy  and  pious  feelings  !  .  .  . 
TuNBRiDGE  Wells,  Wednesday,  19th  August. — 
Today  is  my  poor  dear  Aunt  Sophie's  birthday. 
...  I  read  to  Lehzen  out  of  Sully's  Memoirs.  It 
is  wonderful  when  one  considers  how  many  years 
ago  they  have  been  written.  Upwards  of  300 
years,  and  how  modern  and  pure  the  style  is  ! 
His  account  of  the  horrible  massacre  of  St.  Bar- 
tholomew is  highly  interesting  as  coming  from 
the  pen  of  an  eye-witness  !  I  then  played  on  the 
piano  with  Mamma  and  by  myself.  At  J  past  12 
we  lunched.  At  1  we  went  to  the  races  with  Lady 
Flora,  Lehzen,  and  Sir  G.  Anson.  It  was  very 
amusing.  The  day  was  beautiful  and  we  sat  under 
a  sort  of  covering  of  cloth  decorated  with  flowers, 
in  our  carriage.  The  Manor  Stakes  were  won  by  a 
chesnut  mare  called  Tirara  belonging  to  a  Mr.  James 
Bacon.  The  Give-and-Take  plate  as  it  was  entitled, 
was  won  by  Mr.  John  Bacon's  chesnut  mare  Malibran, 
and  the  Kent  and  Sussex  stakes  was  won  by 
Mr.  Pegg's  horse  Little-thought-of.  Amongst  the 
numbers  of  beggars,  itinerary  musicians,  actors  etc. 
of  all  sorts  and  kinds,  was  a  boy  of  14  years  old 
who  called  himself  the  son  of  an  actor  Williamson, 
very  poorly  dressed,  who  declaimed  by  heart  a  part 
of   Marmion   and   of    Campbell's  poems   with   great 


128  MRS.    BUTLER'S    JOURNAL  ^x.ie 

feeling  and  talent.  We  came  home  at  5.  At  a  J 
past  7  we  dined.  When  we  came  home  I  played  on 
the  piano  and  wrote  my  jom^nal.  Lady,  the  Misses, 
and  M.  S.  Conroy,  and  Mr.  Palmer  dined  here.  After 
dinner  came  Mme.  Dulcken.  I  stayed  up  till  a  J 
past  9.   .   .  . 

Sunday,  23rd  August. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up 
at  8.  At  a  J  past  9  we  breakfasted.  After  breakfast 
I  wrote  my  journal  and  some  extracts  from  the 
Peerage.  At  11  we  went  with  Lady  Flora  and 
Lehzen  to  church.  Mr.  Pope  officiated  and  preached 
a  sermon.  The  text  was  from  the  6th  chapter  of 
St.  Matthew,  10th  verse  :  "  Thy  kingdom  come." 
It  was  not  one  of  his  best  sermons  and  it  was  not 
according  to  my  liking.  He  can  and  has  preached 
some  very  fine  sermons.  At  1  we  lunched.  After 
luncheon  I  wrote  extracts  again.  Lehzen  then  read 
to  me  out  of  the  Sketch-book  while  I  worked.  At 
I  past  4  we  drove  out  with  Lady  Flora  and  Lehzen 
and  came  home  at  6.  I  then  wrote  my  journal. 
At  a  J  past  7  we  dined.  Sir  George,  Mr.  and  Miss 
Anson,  Lady  and  the  Misses  and  Mr.  S.  Conroy  dined 
here.  After  dinner  I  took  up  Mrs.  Butler's  Journal  ^ 
and  read  a  little  in  it.  It  certainly  is  very  pertly  and 
oddly  written.  One  would  imagine  by  the  style 
that  the  authoress  must  be  very  pert,  and  not  well 
bred  ;  for  there  are  so  many  vulgar  expressions  in 
it.  It  is  a  great  pity  that  a  person  endowed  with 
so  much  talent  as  Mrs.  Butler  really  is,  should 
turn  it  to  so  little  account  and  publish  a  book 
which  is  so  full  of  trash   and   nonsense  which  can 

1  Fanny  Kemble,  daughter  of  Charles  Kemble,  the  actor,  after 
attaining  considerable  success  on  the  stage  in  England,  went  to  America, 
and  in  1834  married  Pierce  Butler.  In  1835  she  published  an  indiscreet 
jovirnal  which  had  considerable  success. 


1835]  BOOKS    AND    READING  129 

only  do  her  harm.  I  stayed  up  till  20  minutes 
past  y.  ... 

Tuesday,  25th  AuguM, —  ...  At  J  past  2  sat  to  M. 
Collen  for  my  picture  till  J  past  3,  while  Lehzen  read 
to  me  in  Mme.  de  Sevigne's  Letters.  How  truly 
elegant  and  natural  her  style  is  !  It  is  so  full  of 
naivete,  cleverness  and  grace.  Then  I  played  on  the 
piano.  At  4  we  walked  out  with  Lady  Flora  and 
Lehzen  and  came  home  at  5  minutes  to  5.  In  our 
walk  we  met  a  man  with  beautiful  parrots.  Amongst 
them  was  one  dear  little  paroquet  of  a  green  colour 
with  a  pale  brown  head  and  so  very  tame  that  Mamma 
took  it  on  her  finger  and  it  would  hardly  leave  her.  It 
talks  also,  the  man  says.  It  is  not  so  remarkable 
for  its  fine  plumage  than  for  its  great  tameness. 
Mamma  bought  the  dear  little  thing.  It  is  now  in 
Mamma's   room.  .  .  . 

Friday,  28th  August. — At  J  past  11  came  the  Dean 
till  1.  I  read  first  in  the  Old  Testament,  then  in 
Clarendon,  and  finished  with  the  Spectator.  At 
1  we  lunched.  I  read  after  luncheon  in  the  Bishop 
of  Chester's  Exposition  of  the  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew. 
It  is  a  very  fine  book  indeed.  Just  the  sort  of  one  I 
like  ;  which  is  just  plain  and  comprehensible  and 
full  of  truth  and  good  feeling.  It  is  not  one  of  those 
learned  books  in  which  you  have  to  cavil  at  almost 
every  paragraph.  Lehzen  gave  it  me  on  the  Sunday 
that  I  took  the  Sacrament.  I  have  given  up  reading 
Smith's  Theology.  It  is  more  a  book  to  refer  to 
than  to  read  all  through.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  1st  September. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up 
at  J  past  7.  At  J  past  8  we  breakfasted.  At  J 
past  9  we  left  dear  Tunbridge  Wells  with  Lady 
Flora  and  Lehzen.  I  am  very  sorry  to  leave  the  dear 
place.     I   am   so   very   fond   of   it.     I   liked   Boyne 

I— 10 


130  DUG   DE   NEMOURS  [^t.i6 

House  better  a  good  deal  than  old  Mount  Pleasant.  .  .  . 
We  changed  horses  first  at  Tunbridge  Town,  then  at 
Sevenoaks,  and  lastly  at  Bromley.  We  reached 
Kensington  Palace  at  2.  At  a  J  past  2  we  lunched. 
Lady  Flora  went  home  after  luncheon  to  her  own 
family.  At  3  we  went  over  to  Aunt  Sophia's  (all 
our  carpets  being  taken  up),  to  receive  the  Due  de 
Nemours.  Aunt  Sophia  of  course  was  not  present. 
The  Due  de  Nemours  is  nearly  21.  That  is  to  say 
His  Royal  Highness  will  complete  his  21st  year  on 
the  25th  of  October.  He  is  Aunt  Louisa's  2nd 
brother.  He  is  tall,  has  a  very  fine  slender  figure, 
and  is  extremely  fair.  He  is  good-looking  but  not  so 
much  so  as  his  brother  the  Duke  of  Orleans.  The 
Due  de  Nemours  is  extremely  pleasing  but  rather 
timid.  He  brought  Mamma  a  letter  from  his  Mother, 
the  Queen  of  the  French,  and  a  beautiful  set  of  in- 
struments made  of  French  pebbles  for  me,  from  her. 
I  wrote  my  journal  then.  We  then  saw  Lady 
Catherine  Jenkinson,  and  afterwards  my  Uncle 
Sussex.  I  then  wrote  my  journal  and  did  various 
other  things.  At  a  |  past  7  we  dined.  Lord  Liver- 
pool and  Lady  Catherine  dined  here.  After  dinner 
came  Princess  Sophia.  I  stayed  up  till  |  past  9.  .  .  . 
Friday^  4th  September. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up 
at  J  past  7.  At  J  past  8  we  all  breakfasted.  At 
J  past  9  we  left  Wansford.  It  is  a  very  nice  clean 
Inn.  We  passed  through  Stamford,  a  large  and 
populous  town,  after  having  changed  horses  at 
Witham  Common.  We  changed  horses  2ndly  at 
Grantham,  also  a  large  town.  These  3  are  in  Lincoln- 
shire. 3rdly  at  Newark,  also  a  large  town,  and 
lastly  at  Scarthing  Moor.  The  country  from  Wans- 
ford to  Scarthing  Moor  was  like  yesterday,  extremely 
flat   and    ugly.     From  Scarthing   Moor    to   Barnby 


1835]  JOURNEY    NORTH  131 

Moor,  where  we  arrived  at  5  o'clock,  the  country 
is  rich  and  wooded,  but  very  flat.  This  Inn  {Barnby 
Moor)  is  extremely  clean  and  pretty.  Newark, 
Scarthing  Moor  and  Barnby  Moor  are  all  in  Notting- 
hamshire. I  am  struck  by  the  number  of  small 
villages  in  the  counties  which  we  passed  through 
today,  each  with  their  church.  And  wiiat  is  likewise 
peculiar  is,  that  the  churches  have  all  steeples  of  a 
spiral  shape.  I  read  in  the  Alhainhra  again  in  the 
carriage.  Finished  the  1st  vol.  and  began  the  2nd. 
We  all  walked  in  the  little  garden  behind  the  house 
for  a  short  time.  When  we  came  in  I  wrote  my  journal. 
At  a  J  to  7  we  all  dined.  After  dinner  Lady  Catherine 
played  on  the  piano,  for  there  was  one  in  the  Inn. 
She  played  a  variation  of  Herz's,  one  of  Hiinten's, 
and  the  Polacca  ;  and  she  accompanied  us  while  we 
sang  "  II  rival."     I  stayed  up  till  9. 

Saturday,  5th  September. — ^I  awoke  at  J  past  6 
and  got  up  at  7.  Read  in  the  Exposition  of  St. 
Matt.^s  Gospel  while  my  hair  was  doing,  and  also  in 
the  Venetian  History.  Last  night  I  also  read  in  the 
Gospel  and  in  Mme.  de  Sevigne.  At  a  J  to  8  we  all 
breakfasted.  At  a  J  to  9  we  left  Barnby  Moor.  It 
is  a  remarkably  nice  and  clean  Inn.  We  changed 
horses  1st  at  Doncaster,  a  very  pretty  town,  2ndly 
at  Ferry  bridge  where  there  is  a  fine  bridge,  and 
lastly  at  Tadcaster.  All  these  towns  are  in  York- 
shire. We  reached  Bishopthorpe  (the  Archbishop 
of  York's  Palace)  at  2.  It  is  2  miles  and  a  half 
from  York.  It  is  a  very  large  house  and  part  of 
it  is  very  old.     Besides  the  Archbishop  ^  and  Miss 

1  Edward  Vernon-Harcoiort  (1757-1847),  Archbishop  of  York,  was 
the  third  son  of  the  first  Lord  Vernon.  He  assumed  his  mother's  name 
of  Harcoiirt  on  succeeding  to  the  family  estates  of  Stanton  Harcourt 
and  Nuneham  Courtenay.     He  married  Anne,  third  daughter  of  first 


132  BISHOPTHORPE  [^t.i6 

Harcourt  (his  daughter),  the  Duchess  of  North- 
umberland, Lady  Norreys,^  Sir  John  and  Lady 
Johnstone  *  (Lady  Johnstone  is  the  Archbishop's 
daughter),  Mr.  and  Mrs.  and  Miss  Granville  Harcourt,^ 
Colonel  Francis  Harcourt,^  Mr.  Vernon,  are  staying 
in  the  house.  After  half  an  hour  we  lunched  in  a  large 
dining-room.  We  then  went  to  our  rooms  which  are 
very  nice.  I  finished  the  Alhamhra.  It  is  a  most 
entertaining  book  and  has  amused  me  very  much.  I 
wrote  my  journal  when  I  came  into  my  room.  Wrote 
a  letter  to  Feodore  and  read  in  the  Venetian  History. 
The  country  through  which  we  travelled  today  is 
very  flat  and  ugly,  but  extremely  rich.  I  find  the 
air  in  Yorkshire  cooler  than  in  Kent  and  the  South 
of  England.  I  read  in  Mrs.  Butler's  journal  which 
amuses  me.  There  are  some  very  fine  feelings  in  it. 
At  a  J  to  7  we  dined.  Besides  the  people  whom  I 
mentioned,  Mr.  Charles  Harcourt,^  Mr.  William  Har- 
court, the  Lord  Mayor  and  Lady  Mayoress,  Colonel 
York,  ColoneP  and  Mrs.  Wildman,  &c.  After  dinner 
Lady  Norreys  and  her  cousin  Miss  Vernon  sang  a 
duet  from  La  Gazza  Ladra  beautifully,  and  also 
"  Suoni  la  tromba."     They  are  both  extremely  pretty. 

Marquess  of  Stafford.  A  most  sumptuous  prelate.  He  was  the  grand- 
father of  Sir  William  Vernon  Harcourt,  M.P. 

1  Daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Granville  Harcourt,  and  wife  of  Montagu, 
Lord  Norreys,  M.P.  for  Oxfordshire,  afterwards  sixth  Earl  of  Abingdon. 

^  Sir  John,  second  Baronet  (1799-1869),  father  of  Lord  Derwent. 
His  wife  was   Louise,   second  daughter  of  Archbishop  Harcourt. 

^  George  Granville  Harcourt,  M.P.  for  Oxfordshire  and  eldest  son 
of  the  Archbisliop.  His  first  wife  was  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  the 
second  Earl  of  Lucan.  She  died  in  1838,  and  in  1847  Mr.  Harcourt 
married  Lady  Waldegrave,  the  well-known  and  much-liked  chatelaine 
of  Strawberry  Hill.  The  last  of  the  great  Ladies  (she  was  the  daughter 
of  John  Braham,  the  singer)  who  knew  how  to  combine  hospitality 
with  fine  political  and  social  discernment. 

*  See  p.  135. 

*  Owner  of  Newstead  Abbey,  bought  from  Lord  Byron  in  1818. 


1835]  SERVICE    AT    YORK  188 

They  are  pupils  of  Tamburini.  We  sang  something 
then.  I  like  Miss  Vernon's  voice  the  best  of  the  two. 
We  then  went  to  prayers.  After  that  I  sang  the 
Barcarola  from  Faliero,  frightened  to  death.  I  stayed 
up  till  a  J  to  11.  .  .  . 

BiSHOPTHORPE,  Wednesday,  9th  September. — .  .  . 
At  a  J  past  11  we  went  to  the  York  Minster  with  the 
same  party  as  yesterday  with  the  exception  of  Lord 
and  Lady  Norreys  and  Mrs.  Vernon,  who  remained  at 
home.  The  Minster  was  fuller  than  on  the  preceding 
day.  It  was  Handel's  Oratorio  of  The  Messiah.  It 
is  considered  very  fine,  but  I  must  say  that,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  Choruses  and  one  or  two 
songs,  it  is  very  heavy  and  tiresome.  It  is  in  3 
parts.  In  the  1st  part  Grisi  sang  "  Rejoice  greatly  " 
most  beautifully.  She  pronounces  the  English  so 
very  well,  and  sang  the  whole  in  such  excellent  style. 
.  .  .  The  Hallelujah  Chorus  at  the  end  of  the  2nd 
part  and  another  at  the  end  of  the  3rd  act  are  the 
finest  things  besides  "  Rejoice  greatly."  But  I  am 
not  at  all  fond  of  Handel's  music,  I  like  the  present 
Italian  school  such  as  Rossini,  Bellini,  Donizetti 
&c.,  much  better.  .  .  . 

Friday,  11th  September. —  .  .  .  Lablache  and 
Rubini  sang  only  once  each.  Alas  !  it  will  be  a 
long  time  before  I  shall  hear  their  two  fine  voices 
again.  But  time  passes  away  quickly  and  April 
and  the  dear  Opera  will  soon  return.  I  am  to  learn 
to  sing  next  year.  Mamma  promised  I  should  ;  and 
I  hope  to  learn  of  Lablache.  What  a  delightful 
master  he  would  be  to  learn  of  1  Grisi  sang  "  Laudate 
Dominum,"  by  Mozart,  accompanied  by  Dr.  Camidge  * 

^  Matthew   Camidge,   organist  at  York  Minster    1799-1842.     For 
five  generations  the  family  of  Camidge  supplied  organists  in  the  county 
of  York. 
I— 10* 


134  GRISrS    TRIUMPH  [*t.i6 

on  the  organ.  She  executed  the  delicate  passages 
in  it  beautifully.  Between  the  two  parts  we  lunched 
at  the  Deanery  with  our  party  and  many  others. 
Grisi  came  in  with  her  uncle  while  we  were  at  luncheon. 
She  is  extremely  handsome,  near-by,  by  day-light. 
Her  features  are  not  small,  but  extremely  fine,  and 
her  eyes  are  beautiful  as  are  also  her  teeth.  She 
has  such  a  sweet  amiable  expression  when  she  smiles, 
and  has  pleasing  quiet  manners.  She  had  an  ugly  dingy 
foulard  dress  on,  with  a  large  coloured  handkerchief 
under  a  large  muslin  collar.  And  she  had  a  frightful 
little  pink  bonnet  on,  but  in  spite  of  all  her  ugly 
attire  she  looked  very  handsome.  She  is  a  most 
fascinating  little  creature.  .  .  .  Grisi  sang  the  last 
air  "  Sing  ye  to  the  Lord."  Never  did  I  hear  any- 
thing so  beautiful.  It  was  a  complete  triumph  ! 
and  was  quite  electrifying  !  Though  a  very  little 
bit  and  with  very  little  accompaniment,  the  manner, 
the  power  with  which  she  sang  it,  and  the  emphasis 
which  she  put  into  it,  was  truly  splendid.  I  shall 
just  write  down  the  lines  : 

Sing  ye  to  the  Lord,  for  He  hath  triumphed  gloriously  : 
The  horse  and  his  rider  hath  He  thrown  into  the  sea. 

She  pronounced  it  beautifully.  When  she  had  sung 
"  The  horse  and  his  rider  hath  He  thrown  "  she  paused 
a  moment,  and  then  came  out  most  emphatically 
with  "  into  the  sea  !  "  .  .  . 

Saturday,  12th  September. —  ...  At  11  we  left 
Bishopthorpe,  but  not  without  regret.  They  are  a 
very  amiable  family.  Miss  Harcourt  is  a  very  nice 
person.  She  ought  by  rights  to  be  called  Miss 
Georgiana  Harcourt,  the  Archbishop's  eldest  daughter 
being  unmarried,  but  as  she  never  goes  out  and  does 
not  make  the  honneurs  in  the  house,  Miss  Georgiana 


1835]  ARRIVAL    AT    RAMSGATE  135 

is  always  called  Miss  Harcourt/  The  Archbishop 
has  10  sons,  5  of  whom  were  at  Bishopthorpe  ;  3 
staying  in  the  house,  Mr.  Granville  Harcourt,  Colonel 
Harcourt,^  and  Mr.  Egerton  Harcourt,  and  two  out 
of  the  house,  Mr.  William  Harcourt '  and  Mr.  Charles 
Harcourt,*  staying  at  the  residence.  Mrs.  William 
Harcourt  is  a  very  nice  person.  We  passed  a 
pleasant  time  at  Bishopthorpe  in  spite  of  fatigues 
which  were  not  slight  and  which  I  begin  to  feel.  .  .  . 
Canterbury,  Thursday^  29th  September. — I  awoke 
at  6  and  got  up  at  J  past  7.  At  J  past  8  we  all 
breakfasted.  At  |  past  9  Mamma  received  an 
address  from  the  Mayor  and  Corporation  here.  We 
then  saw  some  officers.  After  this  we  left  Canter- 
bury. It  is  a  very  clean  nice  Inn.  It  was  a  fine 
day.  We  reached  Ramsgate  at  |  past  12.  The 
people  received  us  in  a  most  friendly  and  kind  way. 
The  whole  was  very  well  conducted,  and  the  people 
were  very  orderly.  The  streets  were  ornamented 
with  arches  of  flowers  and  flags.  The  open,  free, 
boundless  (to  the  eye)  ocean  looked  very  refreshing. 
There  is  nothing  between  us  and  France  but  the  sea, 
here.  We  have  got  a  small  but  very  nice  house, 
overlooking  the  sea.  At  a  J  past  2  we  walked  down 
to  the  Albion  Hotel  to  see  the  preparations  made 
for  dear  Uncle  Leopold  and  dear  Aunt  Louisa.  At  a 
little  past  4  we  went  down  to  the  Hotel  with  Lady 
Flora,    Lehzen   and   Lady    Conroy,    as   the   steamer 

*  She  afterwards  married  Major-General  George  A.  Malcolm,  C.B. 
^  At  Nuneham  there  is  a  snuff-box,  inset  with  diamonds,  given  by 

Queen  Victoria  to  Col.  Francis  Harcom^t,  and  engraved  "  for  services 
rendered  to  her  while  still  at  Kensington." 

3  Rev.  William  Harcom^t  (1789-1871),  Canon  of  York.  He  inlierited 
the  Harcoiirt  estates  and  was  the  father  of  Sir  William  Vernon  Har- 
court, M.P.      His  wife  was  Matilda  Mary,  davighter  of  Col.  W.  Gooch. 

*  Rev.  Charles  Harcourt,  Canon  of  Carlisle. 


136         KING    AND    QUEEN    OF    THE    BELGIANS    [^et.ib 

was  in  sight.  With  beating  hearts  and  longing  eyes 
we  sat  at  the  window,  anxiously  watching  the 
steamer's  progress.  There  was  an  immense  con- 
course of  people  on  the  pier  to  see  them  arrive. 
After  about  half  an  hour's  time,  the  steamer  entered 
the  Harbour,  amidst  loud  cheering  and  the  salute  of 
guns  from  the  pier,  with  the  Belgian  flag  on  its  mast. 
My  dearest  Uncle  Leopold,  King  of  the  Belgians,  and 
dearest  Aunt  Louisa  were  very  warmly  received. 
It  was  but  the  people's  duty  to  do  so,  as  dear  Uncle 
has  lived  for  so  long  in  England  and  was  so  much 
beloved.  After  another  J  of  an  hour  of  anxious 
suspense,  the  waiter  told  us  that  "  Their  Majesties 
were  coming."  We  hastened  downstairs  to  receive 
them.  There  was  an  immense  crowd  before  the 
door.  At  length  Uncle  appeared,  having  Aunt 
Louisa  at  his  arm.  What  a  happiness  was  it  for 
me  to  throw  myself  in  the  arms  of  that  dearest  of 
Uncles,  who  has  always  been  to  me  like  a  father,  and 
whom  I  love  so  very  dearly  !  I  had  not  seen  him 
for  4  years  and  2  months.  I  was  also  delighted 
to  make  the  acquaintance  of  that  dear  Aunt  who  is 
such  a  perfection  and  who  has  been  always  so  kind 
to  me,  without  knowing  me.  We  hastened  upstairs, 
where  Uncle  Leopold  and  Aunt  Louisa  showed  them- 
selves at  the  window  and  were  loudly  cheered  ;  as 
they  ought  to  be.  I  do  not  find  dear  Uncle  at  all 
changed.  On  the  contrary  I  think  he  looks  better 
than  he  did  when  I  last  saw  him.  Aunt  Louisa  is 
not  quite  so  tall  as  Mamma,  and  has  a  very  pretty 
slight  figure.  Her  hair  is  of  a  lovely  fair  colour  ; 
her  nose  is  aquiline,  her  eyes  are  quite  lovely;  they 
are  light  blue  and  have  such  a  charming  expression. 
She  has  such  a  sweet  mouth  and  smile  too.  She  is 
delightful,  and  was  so  affectionate  to  me  directly. 


1835]  A    PARTY  187 

She  pronounces  English  extremely  well  and  speaks 
it  very  fluently.  She  almost  always  speaks  it  with 
Uncle.  She  was  very  simply  dressed  in  a  light  brown 
silk  dress,  with  a  sky-blue  silk  bonnet  and  white 
veil.  Uncle  and  Aunt  are  accompanied  by  Comtesse 
Henri  de  M^rode  (Dame  d'Honneur  to  Aunt  Louisa), 
and  General  Goblet.'  M.  Van  de  Weyer  is  also  here. 
We  then  left  them  and  Lehzen  and  I  drove  home  and 
Mamma  and  the  rest  walked  home.  At  a  little 
after  7  we  dined.  Dear  Uncle  Leopold,  dear  Aunt 
Louisa,  the  Due  de  Nemours  (who  had  only  arrived 
half  an  hour  ago),  Comtesse  H.  de  Merode,  General 
Goblet,  General  Baudrand,^  M.  Van  de  Weyer,  Dr. 
Clark,'  Mr.  and  Miss  V.  Conroy,  dined  here.  I  sat 
between  Uncle  Leopold  and  the  Due  de  Nemours  ; 
two  delightful  neighbours.  When  I  say  next  to  a 
person,  as  for  instance  I  said  the  other  day,  and  many 
days,  "  I  sat  next  to  the  Due  de  Nemours,"  "  I  sat 
next  to  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,"  &c.,  &c.,  I  mean,  as  I 
did  today,  that  I  sat  between  or  next  to  them  at  dinner. 
The  Due  de  Nemours,  now  that  I  see  him  and  Aunt 

1  Albert  Joseph  Goblet,  Count  d'Alviella,  a  Belgian  officer  of 
distinction  much  esteemed  by  King  Leopold.  He  was  often  a  guest 
of  M.  Van  de  Weyer,  and  was  well  known  in  London  SocietJ^  When 
sent  as  Belgian  Minister  to  Berlin,  the  King  of  Prussia  refused  to 
receive  him  on  the  ground  that  he  had  deserted  the  King  of  Holland. 

2  General  Comte  Baudrand  (1774-1848).  Originally  intended  for 
the  Bar,  he  became,  by  choice,  a  soldier,  and  served  with  distinction 
in  Italy  under  the  Republic,  and  under  Napoleon  at  Waterloo  he  was 
Chief  of  Staff  of  the  Army  of  the  North.  After  the  Restoration  he 
was  appointed  Governor  of  the  Prince  Royal,  with  whom  he  paid 
many  visits  to  England. 

3  Afterwards  Sir  James  Clark  (1788-1870).  He  was  physician  to 
Princess  Charlotte  and  Prince  Leopold  of  Saxe-Coburg,  and  afterwards 
to  the  Duchess  of  Kent  and  Princess  Victoria.  He  was  not  only  the 
Queen's  most  trusted  physician,  but  an  adviser  and  friend.  He  recom- 
mended Bahiioral  to  the  Queen  and  the  Prince  as  their  Highland  home. 
He  attended  the  Prince  during  his  last  hours. 


188  "DEAR    GOOD    LEHZEN  "  [iet.i6 

Louisa  together,  is  not  like  her.  He  has  such  a 
good  kind  expression  in  his  face  ;  and  Aunt  Louisa 
has  the  most  delightful  sweet  expression  I  ever  saw. 
She  is  quite  delightful  and  charming.  She  is  so 
gay  and  merry  too.  She  had  a  white  moire  dress 
on,  and  her  fine  hair  was  so  well  done,  in  a  plait  behind 
and  curls  in  front  with  a  row  of  pearls  and  three 
black  velvet  bows  in  it.  After  dinner  came  two 
other  gentlemen  of  the  Due  de  Nemours,  Colonel 
Boyer  and  Monsieur  Larnac.  We  passed  a  most 
delightful  evening.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  5th  November. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got 
up  at  8.  Dressed,  walked  over  to  my  room  and 
breakfasted  at  9.  Read  in  the  Exposition  of  St. 
Matt.'s  Gospel,  and  in  the  Venetian  History  while  my 
hair  was  doing.  Dear  good  Lehzen  takes  such  care 
of  me,  and  is  so  unceasing  in  her  attentions  to  me,  that 
I  shall  never  be  able  to  repay  her  sufficiently  for 
it  but  by  my  love  and  gratitude.  I  never  can  suffi- 
ciently repay  her  for  all  she  has  borne  and  done  for 
me.  She  is  the  most  affectionate,  devoted,  attached, 
and  disinterested  friend  I  have,  and  I  love  her 
most  dearly.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  2nd  December. —  .  .  .  We  walked  on 
the  Pier  which  was  very  amusing.  There  are  a 
number  of  foreign  ships  in  the  harbour  ;  Portuguese, 
Finland,  and  a  number  of  French  fishing-boats. 
The  dress  of  the  French  fishermen  is  very  picturesque. 
There  were  some  Spanish  sailors  playing  on  the  pier, 
who  looked  very  singular.  Amongst  others  there 
was  a  little  French  fisher-boy  playing  with  another 
boy  with  a  pulley.  He  had  a  funny  round  rosy  face, 
and  was  dressed  in  a  loose  blue  woven  whoolen 
jacket,  with  huge  boots  which  reached  to  his  knees, 
and  a  red  cap.     Mamma  asked  him  what  he  was 


1835]  A    FRENCH    FISHER-BOY  189 

doing,  upon  which  he  answered  with  naivete,  "  Nous 
sommes  a  jouer  un  peu."  She  asked  him  where  he 
came  from ;  "  De  Dunkirk,"  was  his  reply.  He 
said  this  all,  and  some  other  things,  in  such  a  funny 
naif  way,  and  with  such  a  sly  arch  smile,  that  it  was 
quite  amusing.  He  asked  for  a  "  sou,"  and  we  gave 
him  6  pence,  which  pleased  him  very  much.  .  .  . 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE  TO  CHAPTER  V 

When  the  Princess  was  seventeen  the  shadow  of  coming  events 
was  cast  over  her  placid  hfe.  Her  Journals  contain  evidence  of 
this.  She  became  aware  that  her  Uncle,  King  Leopold,  had  begun 
to  think  with  grave  anticipation  of  the  high  position  she  might 
before  long  have  to  occupy,  and  of  the  project  of  uniting  her  in 
marriage  to  some  Prince  worthy  to  share  with  her  the  anxieties  and 
responsibilities  of  a  Throne.  She  knew  that  he  had  fixed  upon  her 
cousin,  Prince  Albert  of  Saxe-Coburg. 

In  May  of  this  year  she  saw  the  Prince  for  the  first  time. 
William  IV.  did  not  favour  the  views  of  King  Leopold.  His 
candidate  was  a  younger  son  of  the  Prince  of  Orange.  Both 
Princes  were  invited  to  London,  and  both  were  present  at  a  ball 
given  by  the  Duchess  of  Kent  in  honour  of  her  daughter  attaining 
the  age  of  seventeen. 

The  young  Princess  was  not  attracted  by  the  Prince  of  Orange. 
It  would  be  an  exaggeration  to  say  that  she  felt  more  than  a 
sisterly  affection  for  Prince  Albert.  She  thought  him  good- 
looking  and  charming,  and  they  sketched  and  sang  together.  He 
found  her  very  amiable  and  astonishingly  self-possessed.  There 
is  not  a  trace  on  either  side  of  deeper  sentiment.  When  the 
Prince  left  England,  she  wrote  to  her  Uncle  Leopold  expressing 
anxiety  to  fall  in  with  his  wishes  in  respect  of  her  future  marriage 
as  in  everything  else,  but  there  is  no  indication  that  her  heart  was 
touched.  The  seed,  however,  was  sown  which  was  to  ripen  later, 
and  ultimately  to  bear  fruit,  the  sweetest  she  was  destined  to  taste 
in  her  long  life. 

The  plans  of  King  Leopold  were  an  open  secret,  and  roused 
considerable  interest  in  all  classes.  On  his  return  home  Prince 
Albert  was  entertained  in  Paris  at  an  official  dinner  given  by 
Lord  Granville,  which  was  taken  to  mean  that  good  progress  had 
been  made  with  the  scheme  of  the  projected  marriage. 

In  the  course  of  this  year  the  Princess  resided  at  Claremont, 
then  the  property  of  King  Leopold.  Her  life  there  was  one  of 
great  simplicity.  There  were  lately  living  a  few  old  people  in  the 
village  of  Esher  who  remembered  the  little  Princess  attending  the 
ancient  church,  now  disused,  dressed  in  spotted  muslin  with  a 
large  poke  bonnet. 

Perhaps  owing  to  the  consciousness  that  his  candidate  had 
failed  to  create  a  favourable  impression.  King  William  during  this 
year  displayed  more  than  usual  hostility  to  his  sister-in-law,  the 
Duchess  of  Kent.  The  King's  behaviour  to  her  mother  un- 
doubtedly saddened  the  life  of  the  little  Princess,  more  especially 
as  it  was  in  somewhat  strong  contrast  to  the  kindness  with  which 
she  herself  was  treated  by  King  William  and  Queen  Adelaide. 

Meanwhile  the  stream  of  public  events  rolled  smoothly  along. 

140 


CHAPTER   V 

1836 

Monday,  11th  January. —  .  .  .  We  went  out 
walking  at  a  J  to  2  with  Lady  Flora  and  Lehzen ; 
it  had  cleared  up  and  was  quite  mild  and  bright. 
We  walked  on  the  pier  and  got  into  a  boat.  There 
was  a  good  deal  of  swell  in  the  Harbour,  and  at  the 
mouth  of  it  our  boat  pitched  and  rolled  a  good  deal ; 
Mamma  began  to  look  queerish,  but  I  thought  it 
very  pleasant.  There  were  numbers  of  people  on 
the  pier.  The  3  Portuguese  vessels  hoisted  their 
Portuguese  standards,  as  did  also  the  two  Spaniards. 
We  landed  at  the  same  stairs  where  we  embarked. 
The  whole  of  Ramsgate  seemed  to  be  out  on  the  pier. 
We  walked  to  the  head  of  the  pier  and  back  again  and 
got  into  the  carriage.  We  drove  to  the  cliff  where 
the  stairs  called  "  Jacob's  ladder "  are.  We  got 
out  there  and  went  down  the  stairs,  and  walked  on 
the  other  side  of  the  pier.  We  took  a  parting  look 
at  the  end  of  the  pier,  of  all  the  ships,  the  pier  &c., 
for  we  go  tomorrow.  There  were,  I  think,  7  French 
boats  in  the  Harbour  ;  and  there  were  numbers  of 
little  French  boys  on  the  pier  ;  we  gave  them  some- 
thing, but  they  (for  the  first  time)  proved  dissatisfied 
and  rebellious.  They  quite  attacked  Lehzen,  who 
always  gives  the  money,  coming  round  her  on  all 
sides,  stretching  out  their  hands,  saying  "  Donnez- 
moi^un  sou,"  "  Je  n'ai  pas  un,"  "Madame,  Madame, 

141 


142  CHANGES    AT    KENSINGTON  [iEx.ie 

donnez-moi  un  sou,"  &c.  Some  little  urchins  were 
ruses  enough  to  say  "  C'est  pour  nos  matelots,  nous 
allons  a  bord  dans  I'instant."  Lehzen  threw  them 
a  shilling,  whereupon  they  all  fell  on  the  ground  in 
one  heap,  scrambling  after  it.  They  were  quiet  for 
a  little  while,  but  a  few  little  determined  fellows 
came  again  and  followed  us  for  sometime.  They  at 
length  got  something,  and  went  away.  Cela  etait 
fort  amusant  et  tres  ridicule  a  voir.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  ISth  January. — I  awoke  at  a  little 
past  6  and  got  up  at  7.  Dressed  and  had  my  hair 
done.  We  breakfasted  at  8.  We  left  Sittingbourne 
at  9.  It  was  a  bitterly  cold  day,  though  bright  and 
clear.  We  changed  horses  at  Rochester,  2ndly  at 
Gravesend,  and  Srdly  at  Blackheath.  We  reached 
Kensington  Palace  at  a  little  before  2.  We  instantly 
went  upstairs,  that  is  to  say,  up  two  staircases,  to 
our  new  sleeping  and  sitting  apartments  which  are 
very  lofty  and  handsome.  To  describe  them  minutely 
and  accurately  would  be  impossible.  Our  bedroom  ^ 
is  very  large  and  lofty,  and  is  very  nicely  furnished, 
then  comes  a  little  room  for  the  maid,  and  a  dressing- 
room  for  Mamma  ;  then  comes  the  old  gallery  which  is 
partitioned  into  3  large,  lofty,  fine  and  cheerful 
rooms."  One  only  of  these  (the  one  near  Mamma's 
dressing-room)  is  ready  furnished  ;  it  is  my  sitting- 
room  and  is  very  prettily  furnished  indeed.  My 
pictures  are  not  yet  in  it.  The  next  is  my  study, 
and  the  last  is  an  anteroom  ;    this  last  has  no  fire- 

^  This  room  was  in  later  years  the  room  of  Princess  May,  now 
H.M.  the  Queen.  It  forms  part  of  the  Palace  temporarily  appropriated 
to  the  London  Museum,  and  is  dedicated  to  the  relics  of  Queen 
Victoria's  childhood.     In  this  room  Queen  Mary  was  born. 

2  The  partitions  were  taken  down  after  the  accession  of  King 
Edward,  and  the  great  gallery  restored  to  the  condition  in  which  it 
was  left  by  William  III. 


1836J  LETTER    FROM    QUEEN    LOUISE  143 

place,  but  the  two  others  have,  and  my  sitting-room 
is  very  warm  and  comfortable.  There  is  another 
room,  belonging  to  me,  on  another  side  of  the  bed- 
room (Lehzen's  former  bed-room)  which  is  not 
freshly  furnished,  but  is  a  passage  &c.  Lehzen  is 
now  in  our  former  bed-room.  When  I  went  down 
into  my  poor  former  sitting-room,^  I  could  not  help 
looking  at  it  with  affection,  and  pleasant  recollections, 
having  passed  so  many  days  of  my  life  and  many 
very  pleasant  ones  there  ;  but  our  new  rooms  are 
much  more  airy  and  roomy.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  14ith  January. —  .  .  .  Read  out  of 
Mme.  de  Sevigne  while  my  hair  was  doing  to  Lehzen. 
We  all  breakfasted  at  a  J  past  9.  Carried  things 
from  my  old  room,  upstairs  to  my  new  room,  and 
put  them  into  the  new  presses.  Wrote  my  journal. 
My  pictures  are  being  hung  up  and  my  room  is  in  a 
great  confusion  ;  the  workmen  in  my  study  are 
making  a  great  noise,  so  that  I  am  un  peu  confuse. 
Walked  about.  We  lunched  at  1.  Arranged  things. 
Saw  Dr.  Clark  at  2.  Received  a  most  kind  and  long 
letter  from  dearest  Aunt  Louise  in  which  she  tells 
me  that  Uncle  Leopold  and  my  little  cousin  are  well, 
as  also  Uncle  Ferdinand,  who  is  with  them  ;  and 
that  the  Duke  of  Orleans'  (whom  she  calls  Chartres, 
as  the  whole  family  generally  do)  is  better  but  not 
quite  well  yet.  She  further  adds,  that  the  dear 
Queen  of  the  French  who  had  a  very  bad  cold,  is 
better.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  Srd  February. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up 
at  a  J  to  8.     Read  in  the  Irish  History  while  my 

1  Now  occupied  as  a  sitting-room  by  Princess  Henry  of  Battenberg. 

2  When  King  Louis  Philippe  was  Due  d'Orleans  his  eldest  son  was 
Due  de  Chartres,  and  the  earlier  name  survived.  In  later  years  the 
Comte  de  Paris'  younger  brother  became  Due  de  Chartres.     See  p.  72. 


144  THE    QUEEN    OF    PORTUGAL  [jKT.ie 

hair  was  doing.  At  9  we  breakfasted.  Pasted  my 
name  in  some  of  my  books.  At  10  came  the  Dean 
till  11.  Read  with  him  first  in  the  Old  Testament 
and  then  in  Hume.  Pasted  mv  name  in  some  of 
my  books.  I  have  got  all  the  same  pictures  I  had  in 
my  former  room,  hung  up  in  my  present  room,  with 
the  exception  of  some  old  prints  and  of  the  two 
ugly  oil  pictures  of  my  Father  and  Mother,  and 
with  the  addition  of  Hayter's  drawing  of  Mamma 
and  I.  My  fine  casts  of  the  dear  French  family  are 
also  hung  up  in  my  sitting-room  ;  they  only  came 
home  today  as  the  frame  had  to  be  mended.  I  am 
so  fond  of  them.  Various  prints  are  also  being  hung 
up  in  my  study.     Wrote  my  journal.     Drew.  .  ,  . 

Saturday^  6th  February. —  ...  I  have  quite 
forgotten  to  mention  that  the  young  Queen  of 
Portugal  was  married  by  proxy  on  the  1st  of  January 
to — my  Cousin  Ferdinand,  Uncle  Ferdinand's  eldest 
son,  and  who  completed  his  19th  year  on  the  29th 
of  last  October.^  The  negotiations  to  this  purpose 
have  been  going  on  since  last  September,  and  have 
only  just  now  come  to  an  end.  Count  Lavradio, 
whom  we  saw  just  before  we  went  to  Ramsgate, 
went  to  Cobourg  to  meet  Uncle  Ferdinand  and  my 
dear  Cousins  Ferdinand  and  Augustus,  there.  Dear 
Uncle  Leopold  has  managed  a  great  deal  of  the  busi- 
ness ;  he  is  ever  ready  and  ever  most  able  to  assist 
his  family.  Uncle  Ferdinand  has  not  long  left 
Brussels,  where  he  came  to  settle  and  arrange  about 
the  marriage.  Dear  Uncle  Ferdinand  is,  of  course, 
full   of    anxiety    for   the   welfare   and    happiness   of 

^  Prince  Ferdinand  was  nephew  of  the  Duchess  of  Kent  (the  son 
of  her  brother  Ferdinand),  and  was  married  to  Maria  da  Gloria,  Queen 
of  Portugal.  Their  sons  Pedro  V.  and  Luis  both  succeeded  to  the 
Throne.  Count  Lavradio  had  been  sent  to  Coburg  to  negotiate  the 
alliance. 


1836]  PRINCE    FERDINAND  145 

his  son.  Ferdinand  will  soon  come  to  Brussels 
with  Augustus  on  his  way  to  Lisbon  and  they  will 
also  come  here.  I  cannot  say  how  happy  I  am  to 
become  thus  related  to  the  Queen  of  Portugal,  who 
has  always  been  so  kind  to  me  and  for  whom  I  have 
always  had  a  great  affection.  She  is  warm-hearted, 
honest  and  affectionate,  and  when  she  talks,  is  very 
pleasing.  We  have  known  each  other  since  our 
8th  year  (for  there  is  only  a  month's  difference  of 
age  between  us).  She  is  far  from  plain  too  ;  she  has 
an  exquisite  complexion,  a  good  nose  and  fine  hair. 
I  hear  that  Ferdinand  is  full  of  good  and  excellent 
qualities,  has  a  pure  and  unsophisticated  mind,  and 
is  very  good-looking.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  20th  February. —  ...  At  J  past  3 
came  the  Dean  till  4.  Read  with  him  in  Milton's 
Paradise  Lost.  Practised  on  the  piano  for  Mrs. 
Anderson.^  Drew  while  Lehzen  read  to  me  out  of  that 
Rapport  about  Fieschi.'  Practised  again  on  the 
piano.  At  |  past  7  we  dined.  Aunt  Gloucester, 
the  Prince  of  Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeldt,'  the 
Archbishop  of  York  and  Miss  Harcourt,  the  Duke 
of  Wellington,  Count  *  and  Countess  Charles  Pozzo  di 
Borgo,  the  Earl  and  Countess  of  Lincoln,'  Viscount 

1  Mrs.  Anderson  was  Princess  Victoria's  music-mistress.  She  was  a 
pupil  of  Felix  Mendelssohn's,  and  a  most  beautiful  musician.  She 
taught  music  to  all  the  Queen's  children  and  died  between  1870  and 
1880.  Her  husband  was  for  many  years  "  Master  of  the  Queen's 
Musick,"  i.e.  Private  Band. 

2  Fieschi  had  attempted  to  assassinate  King  Louis  Philippe. 

3  Ernest  (born  1789),  brother  of  the  reigning  Landgrave. 

*  Son  of  Count  Pozzo  di  Borgo,  Russian  Ambassador.  This 
diplomatist  was  born  in  Corsica  in  1768,  and  he  began  life  as  a 
Corsican  Deputy  to  the  National  Assembly.  Agent  of  the  Holy  Alli- 
ance in  Europe,  he  was  the  most  ardent  advocate  of  the  Legitimist 
cause  in  France.  His  talents  were  remarkable,  and  his  causerie  was 
much  appreciated  in  London  society. 

'  Henry,  Earl  of  Lincoln  (1811-64),  afterwards  fifth  Duke  of  New- 

I— 11 


146  POZZO    DI    BORGO  [^£^.16 

and  Viscountess  Beresford,*  Lord  Hill,  Lady  Caroline 
Legge,^  Lady  Theresa  Strangways,  Sir  Robert  and 
Lady  Peel,  General  Upton  and  Sir  Samuel  Higgins 
dined  here.  I  sat  between  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
and  Count  C.  Pozzo  di  Borgo.  The  Count  is  a  very 
agreeable  man.  His  wife,  the  dear  little  Countess, 
looked  lovely  ;  she  is  such  a  charming  person  ;  she 
is  the  3rd  daughter  of  the  Due  de  Crillon  and  is  called 
Valentina.  Lady  Lincoln  is  also  a  very  charming 
young  person  ;  she  was  so  pretty  but  she  is  very 
much  changed  as  she  was  very  ill  all  last  summer 
and  is  still  very  far  from  well.  I  sat  a  good  deal 
with  her  and  the  little  Countess  Pozzo,  and  found 
them   very   amiable   and   cheerful.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  27th  February. —  ...  It  was  Miss 
Joanna  Baillie's  ^  Tragedy  of  The  Separation  in 
5  acts,  performed  for  the  2nd  time.  The  principal 
characters  are :  Garcio  (an  Italian  Count),  Mr. 
Charles  Kemble,*  who  acted  finely  in  parts  but  is 
dreadfully  changed  ;    Rovani  (his  friend),  G.  Bennett 

castle,  a  Peelite  and  Secretary  for  War  during  the  campaign  in  the 
Crimea.  He  was  a  holder  of  other  high  posts  in  the  Government. 
An  able  man,  but  no  one  except  Mr.  Gladstone  ever  thought  him 
capable  of  holding  the  highest.  His  father  returned  Mr.  Gladstone 
for  his  close  borough  of  Newark.  Lady  Lincoln  was  a  daughter  of 
the  tenth  Duke  of  Hamilton,  and  was  divorced  in  1850. 

1  William  Carr  Beresford  (1770-1854),  better  known  as  Marshal 
Beresford,  so  called  from  his  supreme  command  of  Portuguese  troops  in 
the  Peninsula,  the  hero  of  Albuera,  the  bloodiest  battle  of  the  war. 
Created  Baron  Beresford  of  Albuera  and  Dungarvan  1814,  and  Viscount 
in  1823.     He  married  Louisa,  widow  of  Thomas  Hope  of  Deepdene. 

2  Daughter  of  third  Earl  of  Dartmouth. 

^  Miss  Joanna  Baillie  (1762-1851),  a  writer  of  many  plays,  now 
forgotten.  She  is  remembered  as  a  lady  to  whom  Sir  Walter  Scott 
wrote  freely.  She  resided  at  Hampstead,  and  was  visited  by  many 
distinguished  men  of  letters.  Sir  Walter  edited,  and  Kemble  acted, 
one  of  her  plays. 

*  Charles  Kemble  (1775-1854),  the  youngest  of  the  family  whose 
chief  ornament  was  Mrs.  Siddons.     A  meritorious  comedian. 


1836]  KEMBLE    AND    MACREADY  147 

who  acted  disagreeably  and  affectedly  ;  the  Marquis 
of  Tortona,  Mr.  Pritchard,  a  poor  odd-looking 
creature ;  Margaret  (wife  to  Garcio),  Miss  Helen 
Faucit,^  who  acted  well  in  the  pathetic  quiet  parts. 
I  had  not  seen  Charles  Kemble  since  5  years,  and  I 
did  not  quite  recollect  his  countenance  ;  those  how- 
ever who  had  seen  him  in  his  good  days,  when  he 
was  an  excellent  actor  and  a  very  handsome  man, 
found  the  change  very  great.  I,  for  my  part,  like 
Macready  by  far  better.  Kemble  whines  so  much 
and  drawls  the  words  in  such  a  slow  peculiar  manner  ; 
his  actions  too  (to  me)  are  overdone  and  affected,  and 
his  voice  is  not  pleasant  to  me  ;  he  makes  terrible 
faces  also  which  spoils  his  countenance  and  he  looks 
old  and  does  not  carry  himself  well.  He  was  very 
fine,  however,  at  the  end  of  the  3rd  act  when  he 
snatches  the  picture  out  of  his  wife's  hand,  and  when 
he  discovers  it  to  be  that  of  her  brother  Ulrico  whom 
he  murdered,- -the  way  in  which  he  throws  the 
picture  on  the  ground  and  sinks  trembling  and 
gasping  against  the  bed,  while  his  countenance  pour- 
trays  the  violent  feelings  of  remorse,  horror  and 
conscience  this  Kemble  did  very  finely,  and  also 
when  he  takes  leave  of  Margaret.  He  was  undoubt- 
edly a  very  fine  actor,  nay,  still  is,  but  he  is  not 
natural  enough  for  my  taste.  I  do  think  Macready  is 
so  feeling  and  natural,  particularly  now ;  he  was 
perhaps  formerly  rather  affected  and  violent  at 
times.  His  voice  too  I  like  so  much  and  he  does  not 
drawl  the  words ;  I  like  him  best  after  Young,  who 

^  Helen  Faucit  was  now  nineteen,  and  had  just  made  her  debut  as 
Julia  in  The  Hunchback.  The  "  Margaret  "  of  the  present  occasion 
was  her  first  original  part.  She  married  Mr.  (afterwards  Sir)  Theodore 
Martin  in  1851,  and  was  as  much  esteemed  by  Queen  Victoria  for  her 
womanly  qualities  as  by  the  public  for  her  impersonation  of  Kosalind. 
She  died  in  1898. 


148  HELEN    FAUCIT:    MME.    VESTRIS  [^t.i6 

was  the  7nost  beautiful  actor  I  ever  saw,  or  who 
perhaps  ever  existed  in  this  country,  except  Garrick 
and  John  Kemble  (Charles  K.'s  elder  brother).  I 
only  saw  Young  twice  but  I  shall  never  forget  it.  I 
saw  him  1st  in  Macbeth  and  then  I  saw  him  take 
his  final  leave  of  the  stage  in  Hamlet.  I  must  say 
a  few  words  about  G.  Bennett '  and  Miss  Helen 
Faucit.  Bennett,  whom  I  have  seen  act  really  ex- 
tremely well  in  The  Miller  and  His  Men,  in  Pizarro,  in 
Kiiig  John  as  Hubert,  &c.,  &c.,  was  extremely  dis- 
agreeable yesterday  as  Rovani ;  he  twisted  his  arms, 
hands,  legs,  back  and  even  eyes  in  all  directions,  and 
drawled  his  words  in  speaking  most  disagreeably. 
Miss  Faucit  is  plain  and  thin,  and  her  voice  is  much 
against  her,  but  when  she  is  gentle  and  pathetic 
she  is  far  from  disagreeable ;  she  rants  and  screams  ^ 
too  much  also,  but  as  she  is  very  young,  they  say 
she  may  become  a  good  actress.  The  Tragedy  though 
well  written  is  rather  unnatural  and  very  heavy  in 
parts  ;  I  must  say  /  greatly  prefer  The  Provost  of 
Bruges  and  think  it  by  far  more  natural.  Kemble 
and  Miss  Faucit  were  called  out  and  were  much 
applauded.  .  .  . 

Monday,  2,9th  February. — -  ...  At  J  past  7  we 
went  to  the  play  to  Mme.  Vestris's  '  Olympic,  with 
Lehzen  and  Sir  J.  C.  I  had  never  been  there  before  ; 
it  is  a  very  small  but  pretty,   clean  little  theatre. 

^  George  John  Bennett,  an  actor  never  in  the  front  rank.  He  was 
associated  with  Phelps  throughout  his  long  management  of  Sadler's 
Wells,  and  played  respectable  parts. 

2  When,  as  Lady  Martin,  forty  years  later,  she  appeared  as  Rosalind 
on  a  special  occasion,  in  the  interests  of  charity,  these  characteristics 
were  found  to  be  unimpaired. 

3  Madame  Vestris  ( 1797-1856),  daughter  of  Bartolozzi  the  engraver. 
She  married  at  sixteen  Armand  Vestris,  and  secondly  Charles  Mathews. 
Her  histrionic  powers  were  not  remarkable,  but  her  reputation  as  a 
singer  and  producer  of  extravaganza  stood  high. 


CHARLES    MATHEWS. 
From  a  sketch  by  Princess  Victoria. 


1836J  CHARLES    MATHEWS  149 

It  was  the  burletta  of  One  Hour  or  The  Carnival 
Ball  in  one  act.  The  principal  characters  are  :  Mr. 
Charles  Swiftly,  Mr.  Charles  Mathews,'  a  most 
delightful  and  charming  actor ;  he  is  son  to  the 
celebrated  old  Mathews  who  died  last  year.  He  is 
quite  a  young  man,  I  should  say  not  more  than  five 
or  six  and  twenty.'  His  face  is  not  good-looking,  but 
very  clever  and  pleasing ;  he  has  a  very  slight, 
pretty  figure,  with  very  small  feet  and  is  very  graceful 
and  immensely  active ;  he  skips  and  runs  about 
the  stage  in  a  most  agile  manner.  He  is  so  natural 
and  amusing,  and  never  vulgar  but  always  very 
gentlemanlike.     He  is  a  most  charming  actor.  .  .  . 

Charles  Mathews  is  the  most  delightful  and  amusing 
actor  possible.  He  is  the  only  child  of  his  parents 
and  was  intended  for  an  architect  and  studied  in 
Greece  and  Italy  for  that  purpose  ;  but  having  a 
penchant  for  the  stage,  he  abandoned  his  profession 
and  had  become  an  actor  ;  we  see  how  it  has  succeeded 
— most  perfectly  !  .  ,  . 

Wednesday,  2nd  March. —  .  .  .  Lady  Burghersh  " 
told  me  that  she  knew  Charles  Mathews  very  well 
when  she  was  in  Florence,  where  he  was  come  for  the 
purpose  of  studying  architecture  ;  she  said  she  had 
often  acted  with  him  in  their  private  theatricals  and 
that  he  always  showed  a  great  talent  for  acting,  and 
that  he  then  performed  as  a   gentleman  ;    he   now 

^  Charles  Mathews  (1803-78),  one  of  the  most  deUghtful  comedians 
of  all  time.  Destined  for  the  Chvirch,  educated  as  an  architect,  he  did 
not  make  his  debut  on  the  stage  until  he  was  thirtj'^-two  years  old. 
He  married  Madame  Vestris,  and  his  Autobiography  and  Letters  were 
edited  by  Charles  Dickens. 

2  He  was  thirty- three  years  old. 

3  Priscilla,  daughter  of  William,  first  Lord  Maryborough  and  after- 
wards third  Earl  of  Mornington,  was  the  Duke  of  Wellington's  niece. 
Her  husband.  Lord  Burghersh,  was  afterwards  eleventh  Earl  of 
Westmorland. 

I— 11* 


150  STATE    BALL    AT    WINDSOR  [mt.iq 

acts  quite  like  a  gentleman,  and  looks  so  too  ;  he 
is  a  charming  performer  I  think.  Lady  Bm'ghersh 
also  said  that  he  looks  younger  than  he  is,  for  that  he 
must  be  3  or  4  and  thirty.  He  told  her  when  at 
Florence  that  he  had  a  great  passion  for  the  stage, 
but,  as  his  father  was  greatly  averse  to  his  son 
becoming  an  actor,  he  refrained  from  doing  it  during 
his  father's  lifetime.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  17th  March. —  .  .  .  We  reached 
Windsor  Castle  at  6.  We  went  to  the  Queen's  room 
where  Ferdinand  and  Augustus  were  presented  to 
the  King.  We  then  went  to  our  rooms.  At  J  past 
7  we  dined  in  St.  George's  Hall  with  an  immense 
number  of  people.  Ferdinand  looked  very  well. 
He  wore  the  3  Portuguese  Orders  in  one  ribbon, 
which  he  has  the  right  of  doing  as  husband  to  the 
Queen  of  Portugal.  Ferdinand  led  the  Queen  in 
to  dinner  and  the  King  led  Mamma  and  I.  I  sat 
between  the  King  and  George  Cambridge  and  opposite 
dear  Ferdinand.  After  dinner  we  went  into  a 
beautiful  new  drawing-room^  where  we  remained 
till  the  gentlemen  came  from  dinner.  We  then  all 
went  into  the  Waterloo  Gallery  where  the  ball  was. 
The  King  went  in  first,  then  the  Queen  and  Mamma, 
and  then  dear  Ferdinand  with  me  at  his  arm.  I 
danced  3  quadrilles  ;  1st  with  dear  Ferdinand,  then 
with  George  Cambridge,  and  lastly  with  dear  Augustus. 
During  the  evening  dear  Ferdinand  came  and  sat 
near  me  and  talked  so  dearly  and  so  sensibly.  I  do 
so  love  him.  Dear  Augustus  also  sat  near  me  and 
talked  with  me  and  he  is  also  a  dear  good  young 
man,  and  is  very  handsome.  He  is  extremely  quiet 
and  silent,  but  there  is  a  great  deal  in  him.  I 
am  so  fond  too  of  my  Uncle  Ferdinand.     I  stayed 

^  This  room  is  now  known  as  "  the  State  Drawing-room." 


1836]  THE    PARTY    AT    WINDSOR  151 

up  till  1.     I  was  much  amused  and  pleased.     Uncle 
Ferdinand  brought  me  two  kind  notes  from  Uncle 
Leopold  and  Aunt  Louise.     Ferdinand  is  so  fond  of 
Aunt  Louise.     He  told  me  :    "  Oh,  je  I'aime  tant !  " 
Both  he  and  Augustus  speak  French  extremely  well. 
This  dinner  and  ball  were  in  honour  of  dear  Ferdinand. 
Friday,    ISth    March. —  ...  At    J    past    9    we 
breakfasted  with  the  King,  the  Queen,  dear  Ferdinand 
(who  came  nearly  at  the  end  of  the  breakfast,  having 
slept  a  long  while),  dear  Uncle  Ferdinand,  Augustus, 
Charles,   Prince  Ernst  of  Hesse  P.B.,^   the  Duchess 
of  Northumberland,   George  Cambridge,  Lady  Ely,* 
Lady  Flora,  and  Lehzen.     After  breakfast  Mamma 
and  I  went  into  the  Queen's  room  and  looked  at  some 
of  her  many  pretty  things.     Wrote  my  journal.     At 
I  past  11  we  drove  out  with  the  Queen  and  dear 
Ferdinand  in  our  carriage,  Ferdinand  and  I  sitting 
on  the  back  seat  and  the  Queen  and  Mamma  on  the 
front  seat.     Uncle  Ferdinand,  Augustus,  Charles  and 
Prince  Ernest  of  Hesse  P.B.  followed  in  another,  and 
all  the  rest  in  other  carriages.     We  went  to  see  a 
hunt  and  saw  a  stag  let  out  of  a  cart  and  all  the 
horsemen  followed  in  great  numbers.     It  was  a  very 
pretty  sight,  and  a  beautiful  warm  day.     We  were  all 
in  open  carriages.     I  talked  a  good  deal  with  Ferdi- 
nand, and  like  him  more  and  more ;  he  is  so  sensible, 
so  natural,  so  unaffected,  and  unsophisticated  and  so 
truly  good.     His  tutor,  who  has  been  with  him  13 
years,  M.  Dietz,  and  whom  he  told  me  he  is  very 
fond  of,  will  go  with  him  to  Lisbon  as  his  "  secretaire 
intime,"   he   told    me.     He   (M.   Dietz)  ^   came   with 

^  Prince  Ernest  of  Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeldt.     Seep.  145. 

2  Anna  Maria,   wife   of  second  Marquess   of  Ely.      She   was   the 
davighter  of  Sir  H.  W.  Dashwood,  Bart.     She  died  in  1857. 

3  See  post,  p.  297. 


152  FERDINAND'S    CHARMS  [jet.w 

several  other  gentlemen  to  Kensington  yesterday. 
Ferdinand  is  so  fond  of  Augustus  ;  the  separation 
will  be  dreadful  for  the  two  brothers  ;  and  he  is 
very  fond  of  his  sister  Victoire.  We  came  home 
at  J  past  1.  Wrote  the  brouillon  of  a  French  letter 
to  Aunt  Louise.  At  2  we  lunched  with  the  whole 
party.  I  sat  between  the  King  and  Uncle  Ferdinand. 
Wrote  my  letter  to  Aunt  Louise.  Wrote  my  journal. 
Walked  about.  At  about  J  past  5  dear  Ferdinand, 
Uncle  Ferdinand,  and  dear  Augustus  came  into  our 
room  for  a  little  while.  At  J  past  7  we  dined  ;'  again 
in  St.  George's  Hall  and  with  the  same  large  company 
as  the  day  before.  Ferdinand  went  first  (as  he  did 
also  yesterday)  with  the  Queen  ;  then  came  the  King 
with  us  two.  I  sat  between  the  King  and  George 
Cambridge,  and  opposite  dear  Fernando.  After 
dinner  Uncle  Ferdinand  and  my  Cousins  came  and  sat 
near  us  every  now  and  then.  Dear  Ferdinand  has 
elicited  universal  admiration  from  all  parties  ;  the 
King  is  very  much  pleased  with  him,  and  the  Queen 
is  quite  taken  with  him.  He  is  so  very  unaffected, 
and  has  such  a  distinguished  appearance  and  carriage. 
They  are  both  very  dear  and  charming  young  men  ; 
Augustus  is  very  amiable  too,  and  when  known, 
shows  much  good  sense  ;  he  is  very  quiet  and  gentle. 
There  is  such  an  innocence  and  simplicity  in  them, 
and  such  a  childish  gaiety,  and  again  they  are  very 
grown-up  and  nice  in  their  manners,  which  are 
very  unaffected  and  pleasing.  Stayed  up  till  J  past 
11.  .  .  . 

Friday,  1st  April. — Today  is  Good  Friday.  At 
I  past  9  we  breakfasted  with  dear  Uncle  Ferdinand, 
dear  Augustus,  Charles,  Lady  Flora  and  Lehzen. 
I  sat  between  dear  Augustus  and  Charles.  I  stayed 
downstairs   till   a    J   past   10.     Received    the   Order 


1836]  FERDINAND    AND    AUGUSTUS  153 

of  Ste.  Isabelle  from  my  Cousin  Donna  Maria.  The 
ribbon  is  very  pale  pink  and  white.  Went  up  stairs, 
and  wrote  part  of  the  hrouillon  of  a  French  letter  to 
Aunt  Louise.  Dear  good  Augustus  came  up  at  J  past 
10  and  stayed  till  11.  These  visits  please  me  very 
much  ;  he  is  so  quiet,  and  goes  about  looking  at  the 
things  in  the  room,  sits  down  and  reads  the  news- 
papers, and  never  is  in  the  way  He  is  a  dear  boy,  and 
is  so  extremely  good,  kind  and  gentle  ;  he  has  such  a 
sweet  expression  and  kind  smile.  I  think  Ferdinand 
handsomer  than  Augustus,  his  eyes  are  so  beautiful, 
and  he  has  such  a  lively,  clever  expression  ;  both 
have  such  a  sweet  expression  ;  Ferdinand  has  some- 
thing quite  beautiful  in  his  expression  when  he  speaks 
and  smiles  and  he  is  so  good.  They  are  both  very 
handsome  and  very  dear  !  Ferdinand  is  superior  to 
Augustus  in  various  ways,  and  is  by  far  more  forward 
for  his  age  in  his  mind  than  the  latter.  They  have 
both  learnt,  and  know,  a  great  deal,  and  are  both 
very  orderly  and  tidy.  At  11  we  went  down  to 
prayers  with  Charles,  Lehzen,  Lady  Flora  &c.  &c. 
The  service  was  performed  by  the  poor  Dean  who 
gave  us  likewise  a  sermon.  We  saw  him  for  an  in- 
stant after  the  service  was  over.  He  is  very  calm 
and  resigned.  We  remained  with  Uncle  a  little  while 
downstairs.  Finished  my  brouillon  of  my  French 
letter.  Began  to  copy  it.  Went  downstairs  to  see 
some  paintings  done  by  a  Mr.  Cowen.  They  are  very 
well  done  indeed.  Augustus  came  in  also  and  looked 
at  them  for  a  moment.  Came  up  to  my  room  and 
went  on  writing  my  letter  to  dear  Aunt  Louise. 
Dearest  Uncle  Ferdinand  came  up  to  me  for  a  few 
minutes  and  then  went  down  again.  Augustus  came 
up  and  stayed  a  little  while,  while  I  was  writing  my 

^  A  landscape  painter. 


154  KING    LEOPOLD'S    STUDIES  [jet.w 

letter  and  then  went  down.  I  gave  him  this  morning 
a  seal  and  some  prints  which  pleased  him  very  much. 
Finished  my  letter  to  Amit  Louise  and  wrote  my 
journal.  At  25  minutes  to  4  dear  good  Augustus  came 
up  and  sat  in  my  room  looking  at  annuals  till  4.  He 
assisted  me  in  Sealing  my  letters,  and  we  both  made 
a  mess,  and  he  burnt  a  cover  in  sealing  it,  dear  boy, 
for  me,  which  made  us  both  laugh.  He  went  down 
for  5  minutes,  came  up  again,  and  Uncle,  after  staying 
a  few  minutes,  fetched  him  away  to  pay  visits  to  the 
Duke  of  Sussex  and  Princess  Sophia.  Played  and 
sung.  At  10  minutes  to  6  came  Mrs.  Wellesley  ^ 
who  is  going  tomorrow  and  will  reach  Stuttgardt 
on  Friday.  Augustus  came  in  and  we  stayed  with 
Uncle  and  him  a  few  minutes  downstairs.  Oh  ! 
could  I  but  have  some  more  such  days,  with  that 
dear  Uncle  and  dear  Augustus,  whom  I  love  so  much  ! 
I  shall  feel  very  lonely  and  unhappy  when  they  leave 
us.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  10th  April. —  .  .  .  Read  to  Lehzen  part 
of  The  Directions  and  Advices  which  dearest  Uncle 
Leopold  has  written  down  for  Ferdinand,  most 
cleverly  and  beautifully  done.  They  are  written  in 
French  and  are  divided  into  3  parts.  The  part  I 
have  read  is  Affaires  Politiques,  which  is  divided 
into  headings  of  all  the  departments  of  the  Govern- 
ment. Dear  Uncle  has  studied  ^  the  Portuguese  Con- 
stitution, Government,  People,  Country,  &c.,  &c., 
so  completely  since  the  intended  marriage  of  Ferdi- 

^  Olivia  Cecilia,  daiighter  of  Charlotte,  Baroness  do  Ros.  She 
married  (1833)  Henry  Richard  Welleslej'',  afterwards  first  Earl  Cowley 
and  British  Ambassador  at  Paris.     She  died  in  1885. 

2  King  Leopold  used  Stockmar  for  the  purpose  of  educating  Prince 
Ferdinand  very  much  as  he  used  him  to  train  Prince  Albert  and 
Princess  Victoria  in  the  duties  of  a  Sovereign.  King  Leopold  believed 
that  he  had  reduced  the  rules  of  Sovereignty  to  a  science.     See  p.  196. 


18361  AND    HIS    ADVICE  155 

nand  with  the  Queen  of  Portugal,  that  he  is  as  famihar 

with  the  whole  as  though  he  were  in  the  country. 

Dear  Uncle  Leopold  is  so  clever  and  so  prudent  and 

so  kind  ;    he  has  taken  so  much  pains  and  trouble 

about  Ferdinand  and  I  must  say  he  \^  repaid  for  his 

trouble  by  the  affection  and  gratitude  Ferdinand  has 

for  him  ;    and  certainly  he  has  not  thrown  away  his 

time  in  so  doing,  for  Ferdinand  is  not  only  very  good, 

but  clever,  and  therefore  with  Uncle's  advice  he  will 

succeed,  I  am  sure.     Van  de  Weyer  is  a  most  trusty, 

clever  person,  and  as  he  has  also    copies  of   these 

papers,  will  be  of  the  greatest  use  to  Ferdinand.     I 

see  by  the  part  I  have  read,  which  contains  most 

valuable,  important  and  sage  advice,  one  thing  which 

I  am  very  glad  of,   which  is,   that  the  Queen  will 

associate  Ferdinand   with   her  in   the   Council,    &c., 

that  he  is  always  to  be  present  at  all  her  Councils. 

Uncle  advises  him  to  listen  and  not  to  give  his  opinion 

until  he  has  become  acquainted  with  the  characters 

of  the  persons  in  the  Council,  and  then,  after  having 

well   weighed   what   he   means   to   say,    to   give   his 

opinion.     There  is  so  much  of  all  the  advice  which 

I  wish  I  could  insert  here,  but  which  I  have  no  time 

to  do.^  .  .   . 

Monday,  llth  April. — Lehzen  read  to  me  while 
I  was  dressing  and  I  read  to  her  while  my  hair  was 
doing,  one  of  the  parts  of  the  Directions  for  Ferdinand, 
called  Observations  Generates,  and  began  the  last 
one  called  Note  communiquee  au  Comte  de  Lavradio. 
Dear  Uncle  Leopold  is  so  clever  and  governs  Bel- 
gium so  beautifully,  that   he  is  a  model   for  every 

^  In  later  years  Queen  Victoria  used  similar  language  about  the 
Prince  Consort.  In  her  case  it  was  not  an  altogether  accurate  de- 
scription of  the  facts.  Her  dominant  character  occasionally  asserted 
itself. 


156  LABLACHE  [mt.w 

Sovereign  and  will  contribute  to  the  happiness 
and  re-organisation  of  Portugal,  as  he  has  done  to 
Belgium  ;  for  that  country  owes  all  its  prosperity, 
happiness,  everything,  to  dearest  Uncle  Leopold  ;  it 
was  in  a  sad  state  when  Uncle  arrived,  and  by  his 
great  prudence,  sagacity,  and  extreme  cleverness, 
Belgium  is  now  one  of  the  most  flourishing  Kingdoms 
in  Europe.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  Srd  May. —  ...  At  10  minutes  past  11 
came  Lablache  till  10  minutes  past  12.  He  complained 
much  of  the  cold  weather,  and  said  "  qu'ils  etaient 
tous  enrhumes  "  and  that  they  had  all  been  very 
hoarse  last  night  at  a  concert,  except  Rubini.  I 
like  Lablache  very  much,  he  is  such  a  nice,  good- 
natured,  good-humoured  man,  and  a  very  patient 
and  excellent  master ;  he  is  so  merry  too.^  En 
profile  he  has  a  very  fine  countenance,  I  think,  an 
aquiline  nose,  dark  arched  eye-brows,  and  fine  long 
eyelashes,  and  a  very  clever  expression.  He  has  a 
profusion  of  hair,  which  is  very  grey,  and  strangely 
mixed  with  some  few  black  locks  here  and  there.  I 
sung  first  the  recitative  of  "  Notte  d'orrore,"  from 
Mariyio  Faliero,  several  times  over.  Then  Mamma 
and  I  sung  "  Mira  oh  !  Norma  "  and  "  Si  fine  al  ore," 
both  twice  over  and  "  Qual  cor  tradesti  "  twice  over. 
Then  I  sang  twice  with  Lablache  "  lo  son  ricco  e  tu 
sei  bella,"  a  very  pretty  little  duo  from  VEUsire 
d' Amove  by  Donizetti.  He  sang  this  delightfully, 
he  has  such  a  fine  voice  and  pronounces  so  distinctly 
and  so  well.  En  conclusion  I  sang  "  Vivi  tu."  I 
liked  my  lesson  extremely  ;  I  only  wish  I  had  one 
every  day  instead  of  one  every  week.  .  .  . 

Friday,    13th    May. —  .   .   .  Mme.    Malibran    de 

^  His   portrait    by   Winterhalter   hangs    among    Queen    Victoria's 
"friends  "  in  the  ante-room  to  the  Cbrridor  at  Windsor.     See  p.  114. 


18361  ARRIVAL    OF    PRINCE    ALBERT  157 

Beriot^  (as  she  now  calls  herself  since  her  marriage 
with  the  eminent  violinist  de  Beriot)  was  in  very 
fine  voice  and  sang  extremely  well  indeed,  twice. 
She  sang  first  the  prayer  which  Anna  sings  in  her  sleep 
in  the  2nd  act  of  La  Sonnambula,  and  "  Ah  !  non 
giunge  unam  pensiero!"  I  prefer  Grisi's  singing  of 
these  very  much  to  Malibran's  ;  there  is  a  sweetness, 
mildness  and  softness,  accompanied  with  such  beauti- 
fully clear  execution,  in  the  former,  which  the  latter 
does  not  possess  in  the  high  notes.  Malibran's  deep 
tones  are  beautiful,  touching  and  feeling,  but  her  high 
notes  are  harsh,  sharp  and  voilee.  The  2nd  thing  she 
sang  was  pretty  and  well  adapted  to  her  voice.  .  .  . 
Wednesday,  ISth  May. —  ...  At  a  J  to  2  we 
went  down  into  the  Hall,  to  receive  my  Uncle  Ernest, 
Duke  of  Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,  and  my  Cousins,  Ernest 
and  Albert,  his  sons.  My  Uncle  was  here,  now  5  years 
ago,  and  is  looking  extremely  well.  Ernest  is  as 
tall  as  Ferdinand  and  Augustus  ;  he  has  dark  hair, 
and  fine  dark  eyes  and  eyebrows,  but  the  nose  and 
mouth  are  not  good  ;  he  has  a  most  kind,  honest 
and  intelligent  expression  in  his  countenance,  and 
has  a  very  good  figure.  Albert,  who  is  just  as  tall 
as  Ernest  but  stouter,  is  extremely  handsome  ;  his 
hair  is  about  the  same  colour  as  mine  ;  his  eyes  are 
large  and  blue,  and  he  has  a  beautiful  nose  and  a  very 
sweet  mouth  with  fine  teeth  ;  but  the  charm  of  his 
countenance  is  his  expression,  which  is  most  delight- 
ful; c^est  a  la  fois  full  of  goodness  and  sweetness, 
and  very  clever  and  intelligent.  We  went  upstairs 
with  them,  and  after  staying  a  few  minutes  with 
them,  I  went  up  to  my  room.  Played  and  sang. 
Drew.  At  a  little  after  4  Uncle  Ernest  and  my 
Cousins  came  up  to  us  and  stayed  in  my  room  till 

^  Madame  Malibran.     See  fost,  p.  168. 


158  THE    SAXE-COBURG    PRINCES  [^t.i6 

10  minutes  past  5.  Both  my  Cousins  are  so  kind  and 
good  ;  they  are  much  more  formes  and  men  of  the 
world  than  Augustus  ;  they  speak  EngUsh  very  well, 
and  I  speak  it  with  them.  Ernest  will  be  18  years 
old  on  the  21st  of  June  and  Albert  17  on  the  26th 
of  August.  Dear  Uncle  Ernest  made  me  the  present 
of  a  most  delightful  Lory,  which  is  so  tame  that  it 
remains  on  your  hand,  and  you  may  put  your  finger 
into  its  beak,  or  do  anything  with  it,  without  its 
ever  attempting  to  bite.  It  is  larger  than  Mamma's 
grey  Parrot,  and  has  a  most  beautiful  plumage  ;  it 
is  scarlet,  blue,  brown,  yellow,  and  purple.  At  6  we 
went  with  Lehzen,  Lady  Flora  &c.,  to  dine  at 
the  Archbishop  of  York's,  and  I  was  very  sorry 
to  leave  my  dear  Uncle  and  Cousins  behind  us  at 
home.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  19th  May. — Read  in  the  Exposition 
while  my  hair  was  doing.  At  9  we  breakfasted  with 
Uncle  Ernest,  Ernest,  Albert,  Lehzen  and  Charles. 
I  sat  between  my  dear  Cousins.  At  J  past  10  Lehzen 
and  I  walked  in  the  gardens  and  came  home  at  J 
past  11.  At  a  J  to  12  came  the  Dean  till  J  past  12. 
Read  with  him  in  the  New  Testament  and  in  Claren- 
don. At  J  past  12  came  Mr.  Steward  till  |  past  1. 
Played  and  sung.  At  a  J  past  2  came  the  Dean  till  3. 
Read  with  him  in  Paley.  At  3  came  Mrs.  Anderson 
till  4.  At  a  J  to  5  we  walked  in  the  gardens  with 
Lehzen  till  |  past  5.  Wrote  my  journal.  At  7 
we  dined.  Besides  us  3  and  Uncle,  my  Cousins  and 
Charles, — Count  Kolowrat  (one  of  Uncle  Ernest's 
gentlemen).  Lady  Flora  and  the  Miss  Conroys  &c., 
dined  here.  I  sat  between  dear  Ernest  and  dear 
Albert.  After  dinner  came  Aunt  Sophia.  Received 
a  very  kind  letter  from  dear  Aunt  Louise  and  some 
ribbons.      Stayed    up    till    J   past    10.      I   like    my 


■  -Ai^y 


1836]  THEIR    ACCOMPLISHMENTS  159 

Cousins  extremely,  they  are  so  kind,  so  good,  and  so 
merry.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  21st  May. —  ...  At  J  past  7  we  dined 
with  Uncle  Ernest,  Ernest,  Albert,  Charles,  Lady 
Flora,  Count  Kolowrat,  Baron  Alvensleben,  &c.  I 
sat  between  my  dear  Cousins.  After  dinner  came 
Princess  Sophia.  Baron  de  Hoggier,  who  had  arrived 
from  Lisbon  the  day  before,  came  after  dinner,  and 
took  leave,  on  his  way  home.  I  sat  between  my 
dear  Cousins  on  the  sofa  and  we  looked  at  drawings. 
They  both  draw  very  well,  particularly  Albert,  and 
are  both  exceedingly  fond  of  music  ;  they  play  very 
nicel}^  on  the  piano.  The  more  I  see  them  the  more 
I  am  delighted  with  them,  and  the  more  I  love  them. 
They  are  so  natural,  so  kind,  so  very  good  and  so 
well  instructed  and  informed  ;  they  are  so  well  bred, 
so  truly  merry  and  quite  like  children  and  yet  very 
grown  up  in  their  manners  and  conversation.  It 
is  delightful  to  be  with  them  ;  they  are  so  fond  of 
being  occupied  too  ;  they  are  quite  an  example  for 
any  young  person.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  22nd  May. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up 
at  8.  Read  in  CornwalUs  on  the  Sacrament  while 
my  hair  was  doing.  At  a  J  past  9  we  all  break- 
fasted. I  sat  between  i  miei  carissimi  cugini.  At 
a  J  past  10  dear  Lehzen  and  I  w^alked  out  in  the 
gardens  and  came  home  at  a  J  to  11.  Received  the 
news  of  the  death  of  my  poor  old  Nurse,  Mrs.  Brock, 
which  took  place  the  day  before  yesterday.  She 
was  not  a  pleasant  person,  and  undoubtedly  had,  as 
everybody  has,  her  faults,  but  she  was  extremely 
attached  to  and  fond  of  me,  having  been  with  me 
from  my  birth  till  my  fifth  year,  therefore  it  is  im- 
possible, and  it  would  be  very  wrong,  if  I  did  not 
feel   her   death.     My    chief   regret   is,   that   she   did 


160  PRINCE    ALBERT'S    CHARMS  [^t.17 

not  live  till  I  was  my  own  mistress,  and  could  make 
her  quite  comfortable.^  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  2Uh  May. — I  awoke  at  7.  Today  I 
complete  my  17th  year  ;  a  very  old  person  I  am 
indeed  !  I  am  most  thankful  that  I  was  brought 
through  this  year  safely,  and  I  beseech  my  heavenly 
Father  to  extend  His  benediction  and  blessing  over 
me  for  this  year  and  for  many  others.  .  .  . 

Friday,  10th  June.— At  9  we  all  breakfasted  for 
the  last  time  together  !  It  was  our  last  happy 
HAPPY  breakfast,  with  this  dear  Uncle  and  those 
dearest,  beloved  Cousins,  whom  I  do  love  so  very 
VERY  dearly ;  mu£h  more  dearly  than  any  other 
Cousins  in  the  world.  Dearly  as  I  love  Ferdinand, 
and  also  good  Augustus,  I  love  Ernest  and  Albert 
more  than  them,  oh  yes,  much  more.  Augustus  was 
like  a  good,  affectionate  child,  quite  unacquainted 
with  the  world,  phlegmatic,  and  talking  but  very 
little  ;  but  dearest  Ernest  and  dearest  Albert  are  so 
grown-up  in  their  manners,  so  gentle,  so  kind,  so 
amiable,  so  agreeable,  so  very  sensible  and  reasonable, 
and  so  really  and  truly  good  and  kind-hearted. 
They  have  both  learnt  a  good  deal,  and  are  very 
clever,  naturally  clever,  particularly  Albert,  who  is 
the  most  reflecting  of  the  two,  and  they  like  very 
much  talking  about  serious  and  instructive  things 
and  yet  are  so  very  very  merry  and  gay  and  happy, 
like  young  people  ought  to  be  ;  Albert  used  always 
to  have  some  fun  and  some  clever  witty  answer  at 

^  This  is  the  first  indication  in  the  Journals  that  Princess  Victoria 
realised  her  future  position.  It  is  known  that  for  many  years  know- 
ledge of  her  possible  accession  to  the  Tlirone  was  withheld  from  her. 
When  it  was  determined  that  she  should  be  enlightened,  a  Family 
Tree  was  inserted  by  her  governess  between  the  pages  of  an  English 
history.  The  child  examined  it  minutely  for  some  time,  and  turning 
to  Baroness  Lehzen  said,  "  Then  I  shall  be  Queen." 


183G]  DEPARTURE  161 

breakfast  and  everywhere ;  he  used  to  play  and 
fondle  Dash  so  funnily  too.  Both  he  and  Ernest  are 
extremely  attentive  to  whatever  they  hear  and  see, 
and  take  interest  in  everything  they  see.  They  were 
much  interested  with  the  sight  of  St.  Paul's  yesterday. 
We  remained  down  with  them  till  10.  I  then  went 
up  to  my  room  and  came  down  again  at  a  little  after 
10.  We  remained  with  them  again,  Uncle  Ernest 
going  in  and  out  of  the  room.  I  am  so  very  fond 
of  him  too  ;  now  that  I  know  him  much  better  and 
have  talked  with  him,  I  love  him  as  much  as  dear 
Uncle  Ferdinand.  He  is  so  mild,  so  kind  and  so  good. 
Dearest  Albert  was  playing  on  the  piano  when  I 
came  down.  At  11  dear  Uncle,  my  dearest  beloved 
Cousins,  and  Charles,  left  us,  accompanied  by  Count 
Kolowrat.  I  embraced  both  my  dearest  Cousins 
most  warmly,  as  also  my  dear  Uncle.  I  cried  bitterly, 
very   bitterly.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  Slst  July. — Read  in  The  Young  Divine 
and  began  to  read  in  Ikon  Basilike  in  one  vol., 
a  book  which  came  out  a  few  days  after  poor 
Charles  I.  had  been  beheaded  ;  while  my  hair  was 
doing.  It  is  said  to  have  been  written  by  him  during 
his  captivity,  and  contains  meditations  and  prayers  ; 
but  the  Dean,  who  gave  it  me  a  few  days  ago,  told 
me  that  great  disputes  have  arisen  as  to  whether  it 
was  really  written  by  Charles,  or  whether  some  friend 
of  his  had  collected  sayings  and  meditations  he  might 
have  heard  the  King  make,  and  put  them  together 
and  that  this  point  has  not  been  settled  yet.  What- 
ever it  may  be,  and  by  whomever  it  may  have  been 
written  or  compiled,  one  thing  is  certain,  that  it  is 
a  very  good  and  pious  book  and  is  authentic  as  to 
its   contents.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  3rd  August. — Read  in  the  Exposition 
1—12 


162  THE    BRITISH    GALLERY  t^.n 

and  in  The  Conquest  of  Granada  while  my  hair  was 
doing.  At  9  we  breakfasted.  At  a  J  to  10  we  went 
to  the  British  Gallery  with  Lehzen  to  see  the  Exhi- 
bition by  the  ancient  Masters  (all  private  property). 
Never  did  I  see  anything  more  beautiful  than  this 
collection  of  the  immortal  Masters'*  paintings,  for  so  I 
must  call  them  as  their  names  will  never  pass  away. 
There  were  such  numbers  of  beautiful  paintings,  that 
I  really  know  not  which  to  name  in  preference.  Upon 
the  whole,  I  think  the  finest  were  those  by  Murillo 
and  Guido.  The  finest  by  Murillo  are  "  The  Angels 
coming  to  Abraham,"  "  The  return  of  the  Prodigal 
Son,"  splendid  both,  belonging  to  the  Duke  of  Suther- 
land. "  St.  Joseph  leading  the  infant  Saviour  who 
carries  a  basket  of  carpenter's  tools,"  quite  in  another 
style  but  beautiful ;  "  Santa  Rosa,  espousing  the 
infant  Saviour,"  exquisite  ;  and  "  Portrait  of  Don 
Andres  de  Antrade  and  his  favourite  dog,"  very 
fine.  The  finest  by  Guido  are,  "  The  Assumption 
of  the  Virgin,"  the  expression  of  the  Virgin's  face 
is  beautiful ;  two  different  heads  of  St.  Peter,  both 
very  fine.  "  The  Magdalen,"  beautiful.  The  finest 
by  Vandyke  are  "  The  Virgin  and  Infant  Saviour," 
very  lovely.  ...  At  a  J  to  4  we  went  with  Lehzen 
and  Lady  Flora  to  Chiswick,  to  the  Victoria  Asylum 
or  Children's  Friend  Society.  It  is  a  most  interesting 
and  delightful  establishment,  and  has  been  founded 
almost  entirely  by  Lady  George  ^  and  Miss  Murray. 
It  is  for  poor  vagrant  girls,  who  are  received  under 
the  age  of  15 ;  and  Miss  Murray  says  that  they  have 
never  had  a  girl  6  months  who  did  not  become 
a  perfectly  good  child.      I  forget  how  young  they 

^  Daughter  of  Lieut. -General  Francis  Grant  and  widow  of  Lord 
George  Murray,  Bishop  of  St.  David's  and  second  son  of  the  second 
Duke  of  Atholl. 


1836]  MISS    MURRAY'S    ORPHANAGE  163 

receive  children,  but  there  are  —  [unintelHgible]  girls 
in  all,  and  they  are  divided,  a  few  being  in  an  infant 
school  upstairs.  When  they  have  become  quite 
good  and  can  read,  write  and  do  work  of  all  kinds 
necessary  for  a  house,  they  are  sent  abroad,  mostly 
to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  where  they  are  apprenticed 
and  become  excellent  servants.  Miss  Murray  told 
us  many  curious  stories  of  the  depraved  and  wretched 
state  in  which  many  arrive,  and  how  soon  they  become 
reformed  and  good.  There  is  one  little  girl  in  par- 
ticular, a  very  pretty  black-eyed  girl,  11  years  old, 
called  Ellen  Ford,  who  was  received  two  months  ago 
from  Newgate,  and  who  boasted  she  could  steal  and 
tell  lies  better  than  anybody.  She  had  been  but  two 
or  three  days  in  the  school,  and  she  got  over  3  high 
walls,  and  stole  a  sheet ;  she  was  caught  and  brought 
back  again.  Miss  Murray  spoke  to  her,  and  found 
that  the  poor  girl  had  no  idea  whatever  of  a  God,  and 
had  a  drunken  father,  a  low  Irishman  ;  this  man 
had  lost  his  1st  wife  and  married  again,  and  this 
step-mother  taught  the  girl  nothing  but  stealing 
and  lying.  Miss  Murray  told  her  of  God,  and  spoke 
to  her  very  seriously  ;  the  girl  was  put  in  solitary 
confinement  for  that  night  and  was  taken  out  the 
next  morning  ;  and  ever  since  she  has  been  a  perfectly 
good  girl.  There  are  many  cases  of  the  same  sort 
which  Miss  Murray  said  she  could  relate.  Before 
I  finish  this  chapter  I  must  mention  the  Matron,  a 
most  respectable  excellent  person,  called  Mrs.  Bower- 
hill  ;  she  is  assisted  by  her  two  daughters,  and  by  an 
old  woman  for  work  ;  but  besides  this  old  woman, 
the  children  do  all  the  work  themselves.  We  came 
home  at  J  p.  6.  I  was  very  much  pleased  indeed 
with  all  I  saw.  Miss  Murray  gave  me  a  book  into 
which  she  had  copied  several  of  the  letters  of  the 


164  SINGING    LESSONS  [^t.i7 

children  from  abroad,  and  very  nice  well-written  letters 
they  are.  Miss  Murray's  exertions  are  immense 
and  most  praiseworthy  for  the  Children's  Friend 
Society.  There  is  a  Committee  of  Ladies  who  meet 
every  other  Tuesday  I  believe  ;  but  Lady  George 
and  Miss  Murray  go  down  3  times  a  week  and 
oftener.  At  a  J  p.  7  we  dined.  After  dinner 
came  Princess  Sophia.  Stayed  up  till  10  minutes 
to  10.  .  .  . 

Monday,  8th  August. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up  at 
8.  At  a  J  past  9  we  breakfasted.  At  a  J  to  10 
Lehzen  and  I  walked  out  till  J  past  10.  Arranged 
things  for  packing.  At  11  came  my  good  Lablache 
and  stayed  till  20  minutes  past  12.  I  sang  1st 
"  Come  per  me  sereno,"  from  La  Sonnambula.  Then 
he  sang  with  me  "  Claudio,  Claudio,  ritorna  fra  le 
braccia  paterne,"  twice  over ;  then  he  sang  with 
me  "  Se  un  istante  all'  offerta  d'un  soglio,"  also 
from  Elisa  e  Claudio.  The  former  of  these  two  was 
the  one  that  I  sang  so  very  ill  on  Saturday,  but 
which  Lablache  did  not  mind  at  all.  He  thought 
it  went  better  today  ;  but  he  is  too  indulgent.  He 
was  in  delightful  voice,  and  sang  beautifully.  After 
this  he  sang  "  Non  temer  il  mio  bel  cadetto  "  from 
//  Posto  abbandonato,  by  Mercadante,  with  me.  His 
volubility  of  tongue  is  wonderful ;  he  can  sing  such 
quantities  of  words  and  at  such  a  rate.  There  are 
plenty  in  this  Duo,  and  still  more  in  "  Quand  amore," 
and  in  "  Voglio  dire,"  both  from  VElisire  d'' Amore. 
Then  he  sang  my  favourite  "  O  amato  zio  "  from 
my  dear  Puritani,  with  me.  After  this  he  sang 
"  O  nume  benefico  "  with  us  ;  then  "  Ridiamo, 
cantiamo,"  and  then,  alas  !  per  finire,  "  Dopo  due 
lustri  ahi  !  misero,"  from  Donna  Caritea,  by  Mer- 
cadante.    Lablache  told  me  that  he  likes  Guillaume 


1836]  A    PATIENT,    AGREEABLE    MASTER  165 

Tell  the  best  of  all  Rossini's  operas,  Otello  the  best 
of  his  Operas  Seria,  and  //  Barhiere  the  best  of  his 
buffa  operas.  Ha  ragione.  His  son  (Lablache's)  is 
gone,  he  told  me  ;  he  went  yesterday,  as  did  also 
Rubini.  I  asked  him  if  any  other  of  his  8  children 
sang,  or  were  musical.  He  replied,  "Non,  ils  sont 
trop  jeunes  ;  I'ain^  n'a  que  douze  ans."  And  the 
youngest  of  all,  he  says,  is  only  2  years  old.  There 
is  an  opera  tomorrow,  but  the  boxes  &c.,  &c. 
are  let,  shocking  to  say,  at  the  play-house  prices, 
and  "C'est  un  pasticcio,"  he  said.  It  is  not  in  the 
regular  number  of  nights.  He  said  that  I  have 
improved  greatly  in  my  singing  since  he  has  sung 
with  me.  After  the  last  trio,  I  took  leave  of  il  mio 
buon  e  caro  Maestro  with  great  regret.  I  must  repeat 
again  that  he  is  not  only  a  most  delightful,  patient, 
and  agreeable  master,  but  a  most  good-humoured, 
pleasing,  agreeable  and  honest  man ;  his  manners 
are  very  gentlemanly  and  quiet,  and  he  has  some- 
thing very  frank,  open  and  honest  in  his  countenance ; 
everybody  who  knows  him  agrees  in  his  being  such 
a  good  man.  I  have  had  36  lessons  of  Lablache  and 
shall  think  back  with  great  delight  on  them  ;  and 
shall  look  forward  with  equal  delight  to  next  April, 
when  I  hope  Lablache  will  be  here,  so  that  I  can 
resume  them  again.  It  was  such  a  pleasure  to  hear 
his  fine  voice  and  to  sing  with  him.  Everything 
that  is  pleasant,  alas  !  passes  so  quickly  in  this  "  wide 
world  of  troubles."  How  often  I  have  experienced 
that,  in  greater  pleasures,  when  my  dear  relations 
have  left  me  !  But  then  there  are  the  pleasant  recol- 
lections of  all  that  is  past,  and  one  must  be  happy 
one  has  had  them.  I  was  exceedingly  delighted  with 
this  my  last  lesson  ;  the  time  seemed  to  fly  even  faster 
than  usual,  for  it  always  appeared  to  me  that  these 

1—12* 


166  AT    CLAREMONT  [iET.17 

pleasant  lessons  were  over  in  an  instant.  Lablache 
accompanied  really  very  fairly,  and  when  he  came 
to  any  difficult  parts,  he  put  in  "  des  accords,"  which 
did  just  as  well.  I  have  already  mentioned  how 
very  obliging  he  is  ;  he  was  always  ready  to  sing 
anything  I  like  and  to  stay  as  long  as  I  liked.  He 
is  extremely  active  for  his  size,  which  really  is  very 
considerable.  It  amused  me  always  to  see  him  come 
in  and  go  out  of  my  room  ;  he  walked  so  erect  and 
made  such  a  fine  dignified  bow.  So  now  all,  all  is 
over  for  this  season,  not  only  the  Opera  but  my 
favourite    singing-lessons    too.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  10th  August. —  ...  A  propos,  I  shall 
never  forget  when,  in  my  first  singing-lesson,  I  was 
so  frightened  to  sing  before  Lablache,  he  said  in 
his  good-natured  way,  "  Personne  n'a  jamais  eu 
peur  de  moi,"  which  I  am  sure  nobody  can  ever  be 
who    knows    him.  .  .  . 

Claremont,  Friday,  IQth  September. — ^At  J  past  9 
we  breakfasted,  that  is  to  say,  dearest  Uncle,  we  two, 
Lehzen  &c..  Lady  Catherine  not  being  well  enough, 
and  Uncle's  two  gentlemen  being  gone  to  town. 
Went  up  to  my  room  and  copied  out  music.  At 
about  a  J  to  12  dearest  Uncle  came  and  sat  with 
me  till  i  p.  12.  He  talked  over  many  important 
things.  He  is  so  clever,  so  mild,  and  so  prudent ; 
he  alone  can  give  me  good  advice  on  every  thing. 
His  advice  is  perfect.  He  is  indeed  "  il  mio  secondo 
padre  "  or  rather  "  solo  padre  "  !  for  he  is  indeed 
like  my  real  father,  as  I  have  none,  and  he  is 
so  kind  and  so  good  to  me,  he  has  ever  been  so  to 
me.  He  has  been  and  always  is  of  such  use  to  me 
and  does  so  much  good.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  ISth  September. — ^Baron  Moncorvo  brought 
yesterday   the  distressing  news  that  the  same  un- 


1836]  TROUBLE    IN    PORTUGAL  167 

fortunate  revolution  which  took  place  in  Spain,  has 
likewise  taken  place  in  Portugal,  and  that  the  Queen 
was  forced  to  proclaim  the  constitution  of  1820 
similar  to  the  one  of  1812.^  It  happened  between 
Friday  the  9th  and  Saturday  the  10th,  in  the  night. 
I  do  so  feel  for  poor  dear  Ferdinand  in  this  trying 
moment,  as  also  for  the  poor  good  Queen.  The 
difference  between  this  and  the  one  in  Spain  was  :  that 
in  Portugal  they  behaved  respectfully  towards  dear 
Ferdinand  and  Donna  Maria,  and  in  Spain  they 
almost  insulted  the  Queen  Regent.  In  Portugal, 
thank  God  !  no  blood  has  been  shed.  As  soon  as 
the  Empress  heard  what  had  happened,  or  rather 
what  would  happen,  she  hastened  to  the  Palace  de 
Necessidades,  where  Ferdinand  and  the  Queen  were, 
arrived  there  at  3  o'clock  in  the  night,  and  remained 
there  till  all  was  over.  The  Princess  Isabella,  the 
Queen's  Aunt  (and  the  former  Regent),  also  came 
and  remained  with  them.  Uncle  Leopold  was  much 
shocked  and  distressed  when  he  heard  it,  as  were 
we  also,  I  am  sure.  .  .  .  Dear  Uncle  came  up  for  a 
minute  and  brought  us  3  letters  which  Van  de  Weyer 
had  written  to  him,  giving  a  detailed  account  of  these 
horrid  transactions  at  Lisbon.  Van  de  Weyer's  con- 
duct throughout  this  dreadful  business,  when  every- 
body else  seems  to  have  lost  their  heads  and  senses, 
was  most  courageous,  prudent  and  judicious ;  and  if 
his  and  Ferdinand's  advice  had  been  followed,  the 
Queen  would  not  have  been  obliged  to  sign  the  Pro- 
mulgation of  the  Constitucion  of  1820.  Van  de 
Weyer  says  that  all  was  given  up    "  avec  la  plus 

^  The  mutiny  and  riots  in  Portugal  were,  it  was  contended,  the 
outcome  of  the  appointment  of  Prince  Ferdinand  as  Commander- 
in-Chief.  This  appointment  had  been  made  on  the  advice  of  the 
Duo  de  Terceira,  the  Prime  Minister.     See  ante,  p.   144. 


168  KING    LEOPOLD  [mt.ii 

aff reuse  lachete  !  "  without  a  struggle  or  attempt, 
when  all  might  yet  have  been  saved.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  21st  September. —  .  .  .  Dear  Uncle 
came  up  and  fetched  us  down  to  breakfast,  as  he  has 
done  already  once  before,  and  twice  for  dinner.  He 
always  accompanied  us  upstairs  when  we  went  to 
bed.  It  was  our  last  breakfast  with  him  ;  I  sat,  as 
usual,  near  him  and  General  Goblet.^  To  hear  dear 
Uncle  speak  on  any  subject  is  like  reading  a  highly 
instructive  book  ;  his  conversation  is  so  enlightened, 
so  clear.  He  is  universally  admitted  to  be  one  of 
the  first  politicians  now  extant.  He  speaks  so  mildly, 
yet  firmly  and  impartially,  about  Politics.  Uncle 
tells  me  that  Belgium  is  quite  a  pattern  for  its 
organisation,  industry  and  prosperity  ;  the  finances 
are  in  the  greatest  perfection.  Uncle  is  so  beloved  and 
revered  by  his  Belgian  subjects,  that  it  must  be  a 
great  compensation  for  all  his  extreme  trouble.  He 
is  so  mild,  gentle  and  kind,  and  so  clever  and  firm.  .  .  . 

Monday,  26th  September. —  .  .  .  Read  in  the 
Morning  Post  of  today  the  melancholy  and  almost 
incredible  news  of  the  death  of — Malibran  !  "  which 
took  place  at  Manchester  on  Friday  night  at  12 
o'clock,  at  the  early  age  of  28.  She  had  gone  there 
for  the  festival  which  took  place  the  week  before  last, 
and  only  sang  on  Tuesday  the  13th  instant,  and 
tried  to  do  so  on  the  Wednesday  but  was  unable, 
after  which  she  was  taken  so  alarmingly  ill  that  all 
singing  was  over.  On  Saturday  the  account  in  the 
papers   was   that  she  was   out   of   danger,   but   the 

1  See  ante,  p.  137. 

2  Madame  Malibran  (1808-36),  daughter  of  Manuel  Garcia.  She  was 
a  distinguished  singer  and  a  woman  of  considerable  talent.  Her  first 
husband  was  a  French  merchant,  M.  Malibran.  At  the  time  of  her 
death  she  was  married  to  M.  de  B6riot. 


:\ 


i 


/ 

f  -J  /i-J- 


■i-^f^ — 


^7  /(P3  6> 


MADAME    MALI  BRAN. 

From  a  sketch  by  Princess  Victoria. 


1836]  DEATH    OF    MAUBRAN  169 

improvement  was  only  transient  and  on  Friday  night 
this  wonderful  singer  and  extraordinary  person  was 
no  more.  She  will  be,  and  is,  a  very  great  loss  indeed  ; 
for,  though  I  liked  and  admired  Grisi  by  far  more 
than  Malibran,  I  admired  many  parts  of  the  latter's 
singing  very  much,  in  particular  those  touching  and 
splendid  low  notes  which  gave  one  quite  a  thrill. 
In  point  of  cleverness  and  genius  there  is  not  a  doubt 
that  Malibran  far  surpassed  Grisi ;  for  she  was  not 
proficient  alone  in  singing  and  acting,  she  knew 
Spanish  (her  own  language),  Italian,  French,  English, 
and  German  perfectly,  as  also  various  Italian  patois. 
She  composed  very  prettily,  drew  well,  rode  well  on 
horseback,  danced  beautifully,  and  enfm  climhed 
well,  as  General  Alava  told  us,  who  knew  her  very 
well ;  he  said  you  could  speak  with  her  on  any  subject 
and  she  was  equally  a  son  aise.  She  was  born  in 
1808  at  Paris,  and  is  the  daughter  of  a  famous  Spanish 
singer  called  Garcia  ;  she  married  first  an  old  French 
merchant  called  Malibran,  from  whom  she  was 
divorced  ;  and  secondly  this  spring  the  incomparable 
violinist  De  Beriot.  Mamma  saw  her  make  her  debut 
as  Maria  Garcia,  only  16  years  old,  in  II  Crociaio,  at 
the  Italian  Opera  in  London,  as  "  un  giovinetto 
Cavalier."  There  is  something  peculiarly  awful  and 
striking  in  the  death  of  this  great  Cantatrice,  un- 
doubtedly the  second  in  the  world,  (Grisi  being  the  first 
in  my  opinion).  To  be  thus  cut  off  in  the  bloom  of 
her  youth  and  the  height  of  her  career,  suddenly, 
is  dreadful  !  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  28th  September. —  .  .  .  The  news 
from  Lisbon  are  far  from  good,  I  am  sorry  to  say. 
Mamma  received  a  letter  from  Van  de  Weyer  this 
morning,  dated  11th  Sept.,  in  which  he  said  that 
there  had  been  another  emeute  the  afternoon  before, 


170  DISTRESSING    DETAILS  [^x.i? 

which  however  had  been  dissipated,  and  that  both 
dearest  Ferdinand  and  Donna  Maria  showed  great 
calmness  and  dignity.  It  is  a  great  trial  for  poor 
dear  Ferdinand  and  for  the  good  Queen.  Van  de 
Weyer  says  they  are  all  in  a  very  uncomfortable 
situation.  .  .  . 

Friday,  SOth  September. —  .  .  .  Read  in  The 
Times  last  night  a  distressing  account  of  the  details 
of  poor  Malibran's  illness  and  death.  Poor  young 
creature  !  she  seems  to  have  been  neglected  at  a 
time  when  her  life  might  perhaps  still  have  been 
saved  ;  for  she  complained  of  head-ache  and  shivering 
the  same  afternoon  she  arrived  (Sunday  11th  Sept.). 
On  the  Wednesday  night  after  singing  that  fine  but 
now  painful  Duo  "  Vanne  se  alberghi  in  petto,"  she 
was  taken  so  very  very  ill.  Notwithstanding  all 
this  she  got  up  on  Thursday  morning  and  was  dressed 
with  the  assistance  of  Mrs.  Richardson,  landlady  of 
the  Mosely  Arms  Hotel  at  Manchester,  for  she  had 
no  female  attendant,  a  man-servant  of  De  Beriot's 
being  (as  is  said  in  the  newspapers,  for  all  what  I 
have  hitherto  related  about  her  illness  and  death 
is  taken  from  the  newspapers)  their  only  servant. 
In  spite  of  every  effort  to  prevent  her,  the  poor  dying 
Malibran  insisted  upon  going  to  the  Oratorio  that 
morning,  and  was  accordingly  carried  to  her  carriage  ; 
but  being  seized  with  hysterics  she  was  instantly 
taken  back.  She  never  left  her  room,  and  scarcely 
her  bed,  from  that  time  till  her  death.  Dr.  Belluo- 
mini,  her  own  Physician,  only  arrived  on  Sunday 
the  18th,  though  other  physicians  had  attended  her 
(from  Manchester)  before.  She  was  perfectly  in- 
sensible when  she  died,  as  also  two  or  3  days  before 
her  death.  De  B6riot  was  distracted  and  over- 
powered on  learning  of  her  death,  in  another  room 


1836]  RAMSGATE  171 

whither  they  had  compelled  him  to  retire  when  it 
was  drawing  to  a  close.  He  never  saw  her  after- 
wards, and  left  the  place  2  hours  after  all  was  over. 
It  is  the  most  melancholy  end  that  could  be  imagined  ! 
To  come  to  an  inn  in  a  foreign  land  with  nobody  to 
nurse  her,  and  die  there  !  What  a  sad  and  tragical 
end  to  her  bright  career !  I  can  still  hardly  believe 
it  possible  that  she,  whom  I  can  see  before  me  as  she 
was  at  our  own  concert,  dressed  in  white  satin,  so 
merry  and  lively,  and  whose  pathetic  voice  when 
speaking  I  can  hear,  is  now  in  the  silent  tomb  ;  for 
the  funeral  was  to  take  place  at  10  o'clock  this 
morning  with  great  splendour.  And  so  today,  all, 
all  is  over  with  poor  Malibran  !  .   .  . 

Sunday,  9th  October. —  .  .  .  We  went  to  the  church 
at  Ramsgate  with  Lady  Catherine  and  Lehzen.  Mr. 
Harvey  preached.  The  text  was  from  the  5th 
chapter  of  the  2nd  Epistle  to  Cor.,  10th  verse : 
"  For  we  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment  seat 
of  Christ ;  that  every  man  may  receive  the  things 
done  in  his  body  according  to  that  he  hath  done, 
whether  it  be  good  or  bad."  Came  home  at  20 
minutes  to  1.  Wrote  my  journal.  Copied  out 
music.  At  a  J  to  3  we  went  to  the  chapel  with  Lady 
Catherine  and  dear  Lehzen,  &c.  The  service  was 
read  by  Mr.  Lewis,  and  Dr.  Longley  (late  Master  of 
Harrow  School)  preached,  and  most  beautifully  ;  so 
mildly  and  emphatically  ;  his  voice  is  very  good,  his 
pronunciation  very  pure,  his  delivery  calm  and 
impressive,  his  language  beautiful  yet  simple,  and 
his  appearance  very  pleasing.  He  must  be  between 
30  and  40,  I  should  say.  The  text  was  from  the  3rd 
chapter  of  Daniel,  16th,  17th,  and  18th  verses ; 
"  Shadrach,  Meshech,  and  Abed-nego  answered  and 
said  to   the  King,   O  Nebuchadnezzar,   we  are  not 


172  LIFE    OF  COLONEL    HUTCHINSON  [^.i7 

careful  to  answer  thee  in  this  matter.  If  it  be  so, 
our  God  whom  we  serve  is  able  to  deliver  us  from 
the  burning  fiery  furnace,  and  He  will  deliver  us  out 
of  thine  hand,  O  King.  But  if  not,  be  it  known  unto 
thee,  O  King,  that  we  will  not  serve  thy  gods  nor 
worship  the  golden  image  which  thou  hast  set  up," 
It  was  a  most  beautiful  sermon  in  every  way,  and 
I  was  very  much  pleased  and  impressed  with  it.  Dr. 
Longley  is  to  be  Bishop  of  Ripon."   .  .  . 

Thursday,  27th  October. —  .  .  .  Read  in  The  Con- 
quest of  Granada  while  my  hair  was  doing.  At  9 
we  breakfasted.  Wrote  a  letter  to  my  brother.  At 
10  came  the  Dean  till  J  p.  11.  Read  with  him  in  the 
N.T.,  in  The  Life  of  Colonel  Hutchinson,  and  in 
Paley.  The  Life  of  Colonel  Hutchinson  is  written 
by  his  wife,  who  wrote  it  for  her  children  after 
their  father's  death.  Colonel  Hutchinson  lived  in  the 
time  of  Charles  I.,  the  Commonwealth,  and  even  of 
Charles  II.  He  was  on  the  Puritanical  side,  and 
though  a  very  good  man,  signed  the  King's  death- 
warrant,  being  very  strong  on  his  side,  which  is  to 
be  seen  by  Mrs.  Hutchinson's  writings  ;  his  and  her 
feelings  being  totally  opposite  to  Clarendon's,  render 
it  interesting,  though  it  is  more  a  private  account 
of  his  life  than  any  public  History  of  the  Times,  but 
of  course  a  good  deal  of  history  will  be  mixed  up  in 
it  as  Col.  Hutchinson  had  a  good  deal  to  do  in  the  wars. 
Mrs.  Hutchinson's  style  is  remarkably  quaint  and 
ancient,  indeed  in  some  parts  so  much  so  as  to  render 
it  almost  ridiculous,  but  there  are  again  some  very 
pretty  feeling  parts  in  it  (indeed  feeling  and  pious 
throughout  it),  one  of  which,  in  which  she  speaks  of 
her  husband   and   herself   I   shall   quote ;     before   I 

1  He  was  translated    to  Durham  in   1856.      In    1860   he   became 
Archbishop  of  York  and  in  1862  Primate  of  All  England. 


1837]  MME.    DE    SEVIGNE  173 

do  so,  however,  I  must  say  that  the  editor,  a  descend- 
ant of  the  family,  has  left  the  orthography  just  as  she 
wrote  it,  which  is  very  antiquated  and  imperfect : 
"  The  greatest  excellence  she  (Mrs.  Hutchinson)  had 
was  the  power  of  apprehending  and  the  vertue  of 
loving  his  (Col.  H.'s)  soe  as  his  shadow,  she  waited 
on  him  every  where,  till  he  was  taken  into  that  region 
of  light,  which  admits  of  none,  and  then  she  vanisht 
into  nothing."  There  is  likewise  another  passage 
speaking  of  a  son  she  lost :  "  .  .  .  call'd  by  his  owne 
name  John,  who  liv'd  scarce  six  yeares,  and  was  a  very 
hopefull  child,  full  of  his  father's  vigor  and  spiritt, 
but  death  soone  nipt  that  blossome."  Lehzen  of 
course  still  continues  reading  to  me  while  I  dress,  the 
delightful  letters  of  Mme.  de  Sevigne  ;  we  are  now 
in  the  middle  of  the  10th  vol.,  and  I  like  them  more 
and  more,  they  are  so  beautiful,  so  easy,  they  show 
the  character  of  the  person  who  wrote  them  so 
perfectly,  you  become  acquainted  with  her  and  hers, 
and  there  are  such  tender  and  beautiful  feelings 
expressed  in  them,  towards  that  daughter  who  was 
her  all  &  all ;  and  the  style  is  so  elegant  and  so 
beautiful.  I  shall  quote  a  passage  relating  to  a 
vexation  she  had  about  not  procuring  the  "  deputa- 
tion "  for  her  son  M.  de  Sevigne  :  "  Ne  faut-il  point 
etre  juste  et  se  mettre  a  la  place  des  gens  ?  c'est  ce 
qu'on  ne  fait  jamais."  How  true  this  is.  Then  how 
pretty  this  is,  in  writing  to  Mme.  de  Grignan  :  "  Vous 
me  louez  trop  de  la  douce  retraite  que  je  fais  ici  ;  rien 
n'y  est  penible  que  votre  absence."  There  is  cer- 
tainly nothing  so  beautiful  of  the  kind,  in  any  lan- 
guage as  these  letters.  I  shall  just  quote  two  passages 
from  the  extracts  in  The  Edinburgh  Review  of  Sir 
James  Mackintosh's  life,  about  Mme.  de  Sevigne  : 
"  In  the  midst  of  all  the  rage  felt  at  Paris  against 


174  LETTER   FROM    QUEEN    LOUISE  [Mr.-n 

King  William,  the  admirable  good-sense  and  natural 
moderation  of  Mme.  de  S6vigne  catches  a  glimpse 
of  his  real  character,  through  the  mists  of  Rome  and 
Versailles  :  '  Le  prince  n'a  pas  songe  a  faire  perir 
son  beau-pere.  II  est  a  Londres,  a  la  place  du  Roi, 
sans  en  prendre  le  nom,  ne  voulant  que  retablir  une 
religion  qu'il  croit  bonne,  et  maintenir  les  loix  du 
pays  sans  qu'il  en  coute  une  goutte  de  sang.  .  .  . 
Pour  le  Roi  d'Angleterre  il  y  (St.  Germains)  parait 
content, — et  c'est  pour  cela  qu'il  est  la.'  Observe  the 
perfect  good-sense  of  the  last  remark,  and  the  ease 
and  liveliness  with  which  it  is  made.  Tacitus  and 
Machiavel  could  have  said  nothing  better ;  but  a 
superficial  reader  will  think  no  more  of  it  than  the 
writer  herself  seems  to  do." — Again,  further  on  : 
"  The  style  of  Mme.  de  Sevign6  is  evidently  copied 
not  only  by  her  worshipper  Walpole,  but  even  by 
Gray  ;  who  notwithstanding  the  extraordinary  merits 
of  his  matter,  has  the  double  stiffness  of  an  imitator 
and  of  a  college  recluse."   .  .  . 

Friday,  2Sth  October. — I  awoke  at  7  and  got  up 
at  20  minutes  to  8.  Read  in  the  Exposition  while 
my  hair  was  doing.  Received  a  most  kind  dear  and 
pretty  letter  from  dearest  Aunt  Louise,  from  which 
I  will  copy  a  passage  :  "I  have  today  not  much  to 
say.  It  is  my  brother  Nemours'  birthday  ;  and  in 
the  same  time,  the  anniversary  of  the  death  of  my 
dear  governess  "  (Mme.  de  Mallet,  who  died  when 
Aunt  Louise  was  at  Paris  last  year)  "  of  the  best 
and  truest  friend  I  had  for  twenty  years,  to  make 
me  melancholy.  In  her  was  broken  the  first  link  of 
the  chain  of  my  strong  and  youthful  affections.  How 
many  more  shall  I  live  perhaps  to  see  destroyed  ?  " 
How  pretty  and  feeling  this  is  ;  it  comes  straight 
from    her  dear  good  heart.     I  can  well  say  of   my 


1836]  A    DINNER    PARTY  175 

precious  Lehzen  what  she  says  of  Mme.  de  Mallet, 
that  she  is  my  "  best  and  truest  friend  "  I  have  had 
for  nearly  17  years  and  I  trust  I  shall  have  for  30  or 
40  and  many  more  !   .  .  . 

Tuesday,  1st  November.^  .  .  .  Read  in  The  Con- 
quest of  Granada,  and  wrote  my  journal.  There 
are  two  lines  in  Rokeby  (which  is  so  full  of  beauty 
that  I  could  copy  the  whole  and  not  find  one  part 
which  is  not  full  of  loveliness,  sweetness,  grace, 
elegance,  and  feeling,  for  the  immortal  bard  who 
wrote  these  beautiful  poems  never  could  write  an 
ugly  line  in  my  opinion)  which  struck  me,  as  well  as 
the  Dean,  who  is,  s'il  est  permis  de  le  dire,  poetry- 
mad,  as  most  splendid.  .  .  .  Oh  !  Walter  Scott  is 
my  beau  ideal  of  a  Poet ;  I  do  so  admire  him  both 
in  Poetry  and  Prose  !  .   .  . 

Thursday,  Srd  November. —  .  .  .  After  7  we  dined. 
The  Duke  of  Wellington,  the  Countess  of  Ashburn- 
ham,^  and  Lady  Elinor  Ashburnham,'  Lord  and  Lady 
Radstock,'  Lord  and  Lady  Barham,*  Colonel  Stop- 
ford,'  Colonel  Barnard,  Mr.  Sicklemore,  and  Mr. 
Mayhew  dined  here.  I  sat  between  the  Duke  of 
Wellington  and  Lord  Radstock.  The  Duke  looked 
remarkably  well  and  was  in  very  good  spirits.  Lady 
Barham  looked  very  handsome  ;  she  had  a  reddish 
brown  velvet  turban  and  a  dark  velvet  dress.     She 

^  Charlotte,  daughter  of  the  fifth  Duke  of  Northumberland,  widow 
of  the  third  Earl  of  Ashburiihara. 

^  Afterwards  wife  of  the  Rev.  Algernon  Wodehouse. 

2  Granville  George  (1786-1857),  second  Lord  Radstock,  Vice- 
Admiral  of  the  Red. 

*  Charles  Noel  (1781-1866)  had  succeeded  in  his  father's  lifetime 
to  his  mother's  barony  of  Barham.  He  was  created  Earl  of  Gains- 
borough in  1841.  In  1833  he  married  his  fourth  wife,  Frances,  daughter 
of  the  third  Earl  of  Rodon,  afterwards  a  Lady  of  the  Bedchamber  to 
Queen  Victoria. 

^  Hon.  Edward  Stopford,  second  son  of  third  Earl  of  Courtown. 


176  LOUIS    NAPOLEON    AT    STRASBURG  (iET.17 

is  a  likeness  of  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland  in  dark, 
but  the  Duchess  is  handsomer,  in  figure  and  all 
together  handsomer,  having  a  finer  nose  and  mouth 
than  Lady  Barham.  Lady  Barham  has  a  beautiful 
brow  and  fine  dark  expressive  eyes  with  a  fine  pale 
complexion,  but  the  lower  part  of  her  face,  particu- 
larly the  mouth  and  chin,  are  not  at  all  good.  She 
looks  28  and  is  only  22.   ... 

Sunday,  6th  November. —  .  .  .  We  walked  home 
at  1.  Read  in  Astoria.  Added  a  few  lines  to  my 
letter  to  Feodore.  Wrote  one  to  Aunt  Sophia  and 
my  journal.  At  J  p.  2  we  went  out  with  dearest 
Lehzen  and  came  home  at  a  little  before  4.  Re- 
ceived a  most  kind  letter  from  dearest  Uncle  Leopold 
accompanied  by  a  "  supplement  extraordinaire  "  to 
the  Moniteur  Universel,  giving  an  account  of  the 
"  echauffouree  "  which  took  place  at  Strasburg  on 
the  30th  October,  headed  by  Louis  Napoleon  Buona- 
parte,' a  young  man  of  28  years  old,  son  of  the  Duch- 
esse  de  St.  Leu  (Hortense),  and  who  tried  to  make  the 
Troops  rise  in  his  favour,  but  the  latter  proved  faithful 
to  their  King  (Louis  Philippe)  and  country,  as  they 
ought ;  and  the  Prince  and  Rebels  have  been  put 
in  prison.  The  Queen  of  the  French  sent  Uncle 
the  paper.   ... 

Sunday,  20th  November. —  .  .  .  Read  a  letter  of 
Lord  Palmerston's  to  Mamma  relative  to  the  late 
unfortunate  affairs  at  Lisbon,  which  is  very  consola- 
tory. Marshal  Saldanha  was  charged  to  bring  about 
the  reaction,  which  was  to  spread  first  in  the  provinces 
and  then  to  the  capital  and  the  Queen  was  not  to  give 
the  first  impulse.'     Unfortunately  poor  Donna  Maria 

^  Afterwards  Napoleon  III. 

2  The  Queen  had  been  led  to  believe  that  a  counter-revolution 
would  be  popular,  but  the  movement  was  a  failure. 


1S36]  A    STORMY    JOURNEY  177 

was  hurried  into  this  step  by  the  jealousy  of  those 
about  her.  The  friends  of  the  Duke  of  Terceira, 
unwilhng  that  Marshal  Saldanha  should  have  the 
credit  of  the  reaction,  snatched  it  out  of  his  hands 
and  brought  on  all  this  confusion.  However,  Lord 
Palmerston  concludes  with  this  :  "  The  result  of  the 
whole  is,  that  the  Queen's  position  is  better  than  it 
was,  not  so  had  as  it  might  have  been  after  such  a 
failure,  but  much  less  good  than  if  she  had  waited 
patiently  till  the  proper  time  for  action  had  arrived. 
The  Prince  behaved  throughout  with  spirit,  courage 
and  firmness  and  has  acquired  by  his  conduct  the 
respect  of  both  parties."  That  our  beloved  and 
precious  Ferdinand  has  behaved  in  such  a  way  is 
most  delightful  for  me,  who  love  him  like  the  dearest 
of  Brothers.     It  could  not  be  otherwise,  I  was  sure.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  29th  Noveynher. —  ...  At  8  we  left 
poor  West  Cliff  House.  .  .  .  We  reached  Canterbury 
in  safety  in  spite  of  the  rain  and  some  wind,  but  not 
very  long  after  we  left  it,  it  began  to  blow  so  dreadfully, 
accompanied  by  floods  of  rain  at  intervals,  that  our 
carriage  swung  and  the  post-boys  could  scarcely 
keep  on  their  horses.  As  we  approached  Sitting- 
bourne,  the  hurricane,  for  I  cannot  call  it  by  any 
other  name,  became  quite  frightful  and  even  alarm- 
ing ;  corn  stacks  were  flying  about,  trees  torn  up 
by  their  roots,  and  chimneys  blown  to  atoms. 
We  got  out,  or  rather  were  blown  out,  at  Sitting- 
bourne.  After  staying  there  for  a  short  while  we 
got  into  the  carriage  wiiore  Lady  Theresa  and  Lehzen 
were,  with  them,  which  being  larger  and  heavier  than 
our  post-chaise,  would  not  shake  so  much.  For  the 
first  4  or  5  miles  all  went  on  more  smoothly  and  I 
began  to  hope  our  difficulties  were  at  an  end.  Alas  ! 
far  from  it.     The  wind  blew  worse  than  before  and 

1—13 


178  STOPPED    AT   ROCHESTER  im.T.n 

in  going  down  the  hill  just  before  Chatham,  the 
hurricane  was  so  tremendous  that  the  horses  stopped 
for  a  minute,  and  I  thought  that  we  were  undone,  but 
by  dint  of  whipping  and  very  good  management  of 
the  post-boys  we  reached  Rochester  in  safety.  Here 
we  got  out,  and  here  it  was  determined  that  we 
must  pass  the  night.  Here  we  are  therefore,  and 
here  we  must  remain,  greatly  to  my  annoyance,  for 
I  am  totally  unprepared,  Lehzen's  and  my  wardrobe 
maid  are  gone  on  to  Claremont,  and  I  hate  sleeping 
at  an  Inn.  I  had  been  so  glad  at  the  thought  of 
not  doing  so  this  time,  mais  "  I'homme  propose  et 
Dieu  dispose,"  and  it  would  have  been  temerity  to 
proceed,  for  a  coach  had  been  upset  on  the  bridge 
just  before  we  arrived,  and  the  battlements  of  the 
bridge  itself  were  totally  blown  in.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  ISth  December. —  ...  I  sat  between  Mr. 
Croker  ^  and  Col.  Wemyss.*  Der  erste  ist  ein  kluger, 
aber  nach  meiner  Meinung,  nicht  angenehmer  Mann  ; 
er  spricht  zu  viel.  He  has  a  very  excellent  memory 
and  tells  anecdotes  cleverly  but  with  a  peculiar 
pronunciation  of  the  r.  He  said  that  the  Duke  of 
Wellington  had  told  him  that  the  character  of  the 
3  nations,  the  English,  Scotch,  and  Irish,  was  very 
apparent  in  the  army.  He  said  (the  Duke),  "  It  may 
seem  like  a  joke  what  I  am  going  to  say,  but  it  is 
quite  true  ;  the  Scotch  were  pleased  when  the  money 
arrived,  the  Irish  when  they  got  into  a  wine  country, 

1  TheRt.  Hon.  John  Wilson  Croke-  (1780-1857),  M.P.  for  Down- 
patrick  and  Secretary  to  the  Admiralty.  Immortalised  in  Coningshy 
as  "  Mr.  Rigby,"  he  has  remained  the  type  of  malignant  and  meddling 
politician  that  Disraeli  desired  to  expose.  His  title  to  respect  is  that 
he  was  one  of  the  earliest  contributors  to  The  Quarterly  Review,  which 
was  founded  by  John  Murray  in  1809. 

^  William  Wemyss,  afterwards  Lieut. -General  and  Equerry  to 
Queen  Victoria. 


1836]  CHRISTMAS    AT    CLAREMONT  179 

and  the  English  when  the  roast  beef  came  up."  He 
told  many  anecdotes  and  made  many  remarks  upon 
the  various  nations,  ein  wenig  sehr  stark.  II  aime 
trop  k  Staler,  il  n'a  pas  de  tacte  ;  il  prend  trop  le 
ton  superieur.  .  .  . 

Claremont,  Saturday,  24ith  December {Xmas  Eve). — 
I  awoke  after  7  and  got  up  at  8.  After  9  we  break- 
fasted. At  a  little  after  10  we  left  Kensington  with 
dearest  Lehzen,  Lady  Conroy  and — Dashy !  and 
reached  Claremont  at  a  J  to  12.  Played  and  sang. 
At  2  dearest  Lehzen,  Victoire  and  I  [?  went  out]  and 
came  home  at  20  minutes  p.  3.  No  one  was  stirring 
about  the  Gipsy  encampment  except  George,  which 
I  was  sorry  for,  as  I  was  anxious  to  know  how  our 
poor  friends  were  after  this  bitterly  cold  night. 
Played  and  sang.  Received  from  dearest  best  Lehzen 
as  a  Christmas  box  :  2  lovely  little  Dresden  china 
figures,  2  pair  of  lovely  little  chased  gold  buttons, 
a  small  lovely  button  with  an  angel's  head  which 
she  used  to  wear  herself,  and  a  pretty  music  book  ; 
from  good  Louis  a  beautiful  piece  of  Persian 
stuff  for  an  album  ;  and  from  Victoire  and  Emily 
Gardiner  a  small  box  worked  by  themselves.  Wrote 
my  journal.  Went  down  to  arrange  Mamma's  table 
for  her.  At  6  we  dined.  Mr.  Edmund  Byng  '  and 
Mr.  Conroy  dined  here.  Mr.  Byng  is  going  to  stay 
here  a  night  or  two.  Very  soon  after  dinner  Mamma 
sent  for  us  into  the  Gallery,  where  all  the  things 
were  arranged  on  different  tables.  From  my  dear 
Mamma  I  received  a  beautiful  massive  gold  buckle 
in  the  shape  of  two  serpents  ;  a  lovely  little  delicate 
gold  chain  with  a  turquoise  clasp  ;  a  lovely  coloured 
sketch  of  dearest  Aunt  Louise  by  Partridge,  copied 

^  Second  son  of  fifth  Viscount  Torrington,  sometime  a  Commissioner 
in  the  Colonial  Audit  Office. 


180  CHRISTMAS    PRESENTS  [^t.  17 

from  the  picture  he  brought,  and  so  Uke  her  ;  3 
beautiful  drawings  by  Munn,  one  lovely  sea  view 
by  Purser,  and  one  beautiful  cattle  piece  by  Cooper 
(all  coloured),  3  prints,  a  book  called  Finden's 
Tableaux,  HeatKs  Picturesque  Annual  for  1837,  Ire- 
land ;  both  these  are  very  pretty ;  Friendship's 
Offering,  and  The  English  Annual  for  1837,  The  Holy 
Land  illustrated  beautifully,  two  handkerchiefs,  a  very 
pretty  black  satin  apron  trimmed  with  red  velvet, 
and  two  almanacks.  I  am  very  thankful  to  my  dear 
Mamma  for  all  these  very  pretty  things.  From  dear 
Uncle  Leopold,  a  beautiful  turquoise  ring ;  from  the 
Queen  a  fine  piece  of  Indian  gold  tissue  ;  and  from 
Sir  J.  Conroy  a  print.  I  gave  my  dear  Lehzen  a 
green  morocco  jewel  case,  and  the  Picturesque  Annual ; 
Mamma  gave  her  a  shawl,  a  dress,  a  pair  of  turquoise 
earrings,  an  annual,  and  handkerchiefs.  I  then  took 
Mamma  to  the  Library  where  my  humble  table  was 
arranged.  I  gave  her  a  bracelet  made  of  my  hair, 
the  clasp  of  which  contains  Charles',  Feodore's  and 
my  hair ;  and  the  Keepsake  and  Oriental  Annual. 
Lehzen  gave  her  two  pair  of  little  buttons  just  like 
mine.  I  danced  a  little  with  Victoire.  Stayed  up 
till  11. 

Sunday,  25th  December  (Xmas  day). — At  9  we  all 
breakfasted.  Mamma,  Lehzen  and  I  read  prayers. 
Arranged  my  new  drawings.  At  a  little  before  2 
dearest  Lehzen,  Victoire  and  I  went  out  and  came 
home  at  3.  As  we  were  approaching  the  camp,^  we 
met  Rea  coming  from  it,  who  had  been  sent  there  by 
Mamma  to  enquire  into  the  story  of  these  poor 
wanderers.  He  told  us  (what  I  was  quite  sure  of 
before)  that  all  was  quite  true,  that  the  poor  young 
woman  and  baby  were  doing  very  well,  though  very 

^  A  gipsy  encampment. 


1836]  A    GIPSY    ENCAMPMENT  181 

weak  and  miserable  and  that  what  they  wanted 
chiefly  was  fuel  and  nourishment.  Mamma  has 
ordered  broth  and  fuel  to  be  sent  tonight,  as  also 
2  blankets  ;  and  several  of  our  people  have  sent  old 
flannel  things  for  them.  Mamma  has  ordered  that 
the  broth  and  fuel  is  to  be  sent  each  day  till  the 
woman  is  recovered.  Lehzen  sent  them  by  our 
footmen  a  little  worsted  knit  jacket  for  the  poor 
baby,  and  when  we  drove  by,  Aunt  Sarah, ^  the  old 
woman  and  the  Husband  all  looked  out  and  bowed 
most  gratefully.  Rea  gave  them  directly  a  sovereign. 
I  cannot  say  how  happy  I  am  that  these  poor  crea- 
tures are  assisted,  for  they  are  such  a  nice  set  of 
Gipsies,  so  quiet,  so  affectionate  to  one  another,  so 
discreet,  not  at  all  forward  or  importunate,  and 
so  grateful ;  so  unlike  the  gossiping,  fortune-telling 
race-gipsies  ;  and  this  is  such  a  peculiar  and  touching 
case.  Their  being  assisted  makes  me  quite  merry 
and  happy  today,  for  yesterday  night  when  I  was 
safe  and  happy  at  home  in  that  cold  night  and  today 
when  it  snowed  so  and  everything  looked  white,  I 
felt  quite  unhappy  and  grieved  to  think  that  our 
poor  gipsy  friends  should  perish  and  shiver  for  want ; 
and  now  today  I  shall  go  to  bed  happy,  knowing 
they  are  better  off  and  more  comfortable.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  29th  December. —  ...  At  12  we  went 
out  with  dear  Lehzen  and  came  home  at  2.  Every- 
thing still  looked  very  white  and  the  ground  rather 
slippery  but  not  so  much  as  yesterday.  It  snowed 
part  of  the  time  we  were  walking.  I  saw  Aunt  Sarah 
and  the  least  pretty  of  the  two  sisters-in-law,  who 
has  returned,  in  a  shop  at  Esher.  How  I  do  wish  I 
could  do  something  for  their  spiritual  and  mental 
benefit  and  for  the  education  of  their  children  and  in 

^  One  of  the  gipsies. 
1—13* 


182  SYMPATHY    FOR    GIPSIES  [^et.i? 

particular  for  the  poor  little  baby  who  I  have  known 
since  its  birth,  in  the  admirable  manner  Mr.  Crabbe 
in  his  Gipsies'   Advocate  so  strongly  urges  ;   he    be- 
seeches and  urges  those  who  have  kind  hearts  and 
Christian  feelings  to  think  of  these  poor  wanderers, 
who  have  many  good  qualities  and  who  have  many 
good   people    amongst   them.     He    says,    and   alas  ! 
I  too  well  know  its  truth,  from  experience,  that  when- 
ever any  poor  Gipsies  are  encamped  anywhere  and 
crimes  and  robberies  &c.  occur,  it  is  invariably  laid 
to  their  account,  which  is  shocking;  and  if  they  are 
always   looked   upon   as   vagabonds,   how   can  they 
become  good  people  ?    I  trust  in  Heaven  that  the 
day  may  come  when  /  may  do  something  for  these 
poor  people,  and  for  this  particular  family  !     I  am 
sure  that  the  little  kindness  which  they  have  experi- 
enced from  us  will  have  a  good  and  lasting  effect  on 
them  !  .  .  . 


GYPSY    WOMEN. 

From  a  sketch  by  Princess  Victoria. 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE  TO  CHAPTER  VI 

This  was  her  annus  mirabilis,  her  wonder- year.  The  earUer 
months  passed  much  as  usual.  On  24th  May  she  was  eighteen 
years  old.  The  entry  in  her  Journal  shows  some  presentiment 
of  what  was  to  come.  In  less  than  a  month  she  had  stepped 
from  out  of  the  precincts  of  that  quiet,  ill-furnished  palace  in 
Kensington  Gardens  into  the  full  glare  of  the  Throne.  The  20th  June 
was  her  most  wonderful  day,  but  although  keenly  alive  to  its 
significance  and  glory,  she  never  lost  her  self-control.  The 
hidden  forces  which  even  her  Journals  failed  to  reveal,  appear 
so  to  have  moulded  her  character  that  she  was  enabled  to 
appreciate  and  yet  resist  the  glamours  of  this  supreme  moment. 
There  is  not  a  trace  of  doubt  or  misgiving.  She  was  conscious 
of  a  mysterious  duty  imposed  upon  her  by  Divine  Providence, 
and  although  she  obviously  felt  her  inexperience,  she  never  for 
a  moment  doubted  her  fitness  for  her  task.  King  William  died 
at  Windsor  soon  after  two  in  the  morning,  and  three  hours  later 
the  Archbishop  and  Lord  Conyngham  were  at  Kensington  Palace. 
The  Princess  received  them  in  a  dressing-gown  hastily  thrown 
over  her  nightdress,  her  feet  in  slippers,  and  her  fair  hair  loose 
about  her  head.  Four  hours  later  she  received  for  the  first  time 
Lord  Melbourne,  the  Prime  Minister,  who  was  destined  until 
the  day  of  her  marriage  to  exercise  a  potent  influence  over  her 
thoughts  and  actions.  Her  caution  in  the  selection  of  con- 
fidantes,  her  wariness  in  granting  her  approval,  and  her  care 
to  safeguard  the  regal  tradition,  are  clearly  apparent  from  the 
day  of  her  accession.  Although  she  accepted  advice,  she  never 
appeared  to  yield.  There  is  nothing  in  these  Journals  that 
displays  the  inner  thoughts  of  the  Queen,  in  a  light  differing 
from  that  in  which  her  conduct  appeared  both  to  her  Ministers 
and  to  her  courtiers.  Then,  as  in  after-years,  she  fulfilled  the 
hope  publicly  expressed  by  Lord  John  Russell,  that  she  would 
prove  to  be  an  Elizabeth  without  her  tyranny  and  an  Anne 
without  her  weakness. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  from  the  day  of  her  accession 
the  Crowns  of  Great  Britain  and  Hanover  were  divided.  Her 
uncle,  Ernest,  Duke  of  Cumberland,  succeeded  to  the  Throne  of 
Hanover.  The  fear  that  he  might  succeed  to  the  Throne  of 
Great  Britain  had  always  haunted  the  minds  of  the  people, 
and  added  to  the  feeling  of  gladness  with  which  they  welcomed 
the  young  Queen.  On  the  second  day  of  her  reign  the  name 
Alexandrina  was  dropped  for  ever,  and  she  was  thenceforth 
known,  as  she  desired  to  be,  by  the  name  of  Victoria. 

183 


CHAPTER  VI 
1837 

Sunday,  Sth  January. —  .  .  .  The  service  was 
performed  by  the  Dean,  who  gave  us  Ukewise  a 
sermon.  The  text  was  from  the  1st  Chapter  of 
Isaiah,  —  verse  :  — "  Wash  you,  make  you  clean." 
At  12  dear  Lehzen  and  I  went  out  and  came  home  at 
10  minutes  p.  1.  It  is  today  a  week  that  we  took 
leave  of  our  poor  good  friends  the  Gipsies,  and  I  am 
quite  sorry  when  I  pass  the  spot  so  long  enlivened 
by  their  little  camp,  and  behold  it  empty  and  deserted, 
and  with  almost  no  trace  to  be  seen  of  their  ever 
having  been  there.  They  had  been  there  more  than 
a  month,  for  they  encamped  there  about  5  days  after 
we  arrived  here  and  have  been  there  ever  since  until 
last  Wednesday  or  Thursday.  To  my  feeling,  the 
chief  ornament  of  the  Portsmouth  Road  is  gone 
since  their  departure.  But  this  is  their  life  ;  they 
are  happy  and  grateful  and  we  have  done  them  some 
good.  The  place  and  spot  may  be  forgotten,  but  the 
Gipsy  family  Cooper  will  never  be  obliterated  from 
my  memory  !  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  10th  January. —  ...  At  a  J  p.  3  came 
M.  Van  de  Weyer,  who  arrived  in  London  last  night 
from  Lisbon.  He  gave  us  most  interesting  and  most 
valuable  information  about  Portugal ;  praised  our 
dearest  Ferdinand  to  the  skies,  said  he  showed  clever- 

184 


1837]  NEWS    FROM    PORTUGAL  185 

ness,  firmness,  and  character  which  no  other  young 
man  of  his  age  hardly  ever  showed  ;  said  the  poor 
Queen  was  totally  indifferent  to  whatever  happened, 
but  was  extremely  obedient  to  Ferdinand  who  had 
great  power  over  her.  He  told  us  much  to  dis- 
tress us,  but  said  that  the  present  ministers  were 
ready  to  do  anything  that  was  right.  He  is  a  most 
clever,  clear-sighted,  sensible  little  man,  Van  de 
Weyer  himself.  He  looks  much  careworn  and 
fatigued,  and  no  wonder  at  it.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  7th  February. — Read  in  Bajazet.  Read 
to  Lehzen  out  of  Polyeucte  and  finished  it ;  it  is 
certainly  very  beautiful  and  full  of  most  beautiful 
and  highminded  feelings,  but  the  end  is,  to  my 
feelings,  rather  unnatural.  Lehzen  dictated  to  me 
some   passages   from   Polyeucte.  ... 

Thursday,  9th  February. —  .  .  .  Read  to  dear 
Lehzen  out  of  the  newspapers  Lord  John  Russell's 
very  able  and  judicious  speech  on  bringing  in  the 
Irish  Corporation  bill ;  and  out  of  the  Irish  His- 
tory. .  .  .  Read  in  Bajazet  and  wrote  my  journal. 
Lehzen  dictated  French  to  me.  Played  and  sang. 
Read  in  Raumer's  Koniginnen.  Read  in  Clive's 
life '  while  my  hair  was  doing.  At  6  we  dined. 
Read  in  Bajazet.  Sang,  and  Mamma  also.  Stayed 
up  till  10.  Read  in  School  Shakespeare  while  my 
hair  was  undoing. 

Saturday,  Sth  April. — At  10  came  the  Dean  till  11. 
Read  with  him  in  the  N.T.  and  in  Boswell's  Life  of 
Johnson.  At  |  p.  11  I  went  down  and  sat  to  Mr. 
Lane  ^  till  a  J  to  1.     He  showed  me  4  very  beautiful 


^  Sir  John  Malcolm's  Life  of  Clive,  a  biogi'aphy  now  unreadable, 
but  made  famous  by  Macaulay,  who  took  it  as  a  peg  upon  which  to 
hang  his  Essay. 

2  Richard  James  Lane  (1800-72)  had  in  1829  made  a  well-known 


186  RICHARD   JAMES   LANE  [jet.ii 

coloured    drawings    by    Chalon,    3    portraits, — Mrs. 
Ashley,  very  like  ;   Miss  Fanny  Wyndham  as  Contino 
in   Scaramuccia,    ridiculously   like ;     and    Bellini    as 
Figaro  ;  the  4th  is  a  very  beautiful  head  and  hands 
of   Juliet   asleep   after  she   has   taken  the   draught. 
Mr.  Lane  likewise  showed  me  a  very  beautiful  minia- 
ture of  Lady  Blessington  '  painted  by  Chalon  about 
15  years  ago  ;  and  a  beautiful  drawing  of  C.  Kemble  as 
Falstaff,  done  by  himself.     He  is  a  great  friend  of 
Kemble's  and  admires  him  beyond  everything.     He 
is  also  very  intimate  with  Mr.  Macready,  and  says 
he  is  such  an  excellent  father  and  husband.     Charles 
Mathews,  he  says,  speaks  Italian  as  well  as  he  does 
French.  ...  At  20  minutes  p.  7  we  went  with  dear 
Lehzen,  Lady  Theresa,   Charles  and  Lord  Ilchester 
&c.  to  the  Opera.     It  was  my  dear  /  Puritani,  and 
they  were  singing  the  opening  Chorus  when  we  came 
in.     Grisi,   Rubini,  Lablache,  and  Tamburini  made 
their    first    appearance    this    season,    and    were    all 
enthusiastically    cheered    on    their    appearance,    in 
particular   my   worthy   Master   and   Rubini.     There 
is  not  a  word  of  truth  in  what  was  said  about  Grisi,  for 


portrait  of  the  Princess  at  ten  years  old.  He  was  afterwards  dis- 
tinguished for  his  skill  in  lithography,  reproducing  many  works  of 
well-known  artists.  The  portrait  he  was  painting  at  this  time  now 
hangs  in  the  Corridor  at  Windsor. 

1  Lady  Blessington  (1789-1849)  was  at  the  zenith  of  her  career, 
editing  Books  of  Beauty,  writing  novels,  and  entertaining  celebrities 
at  Gore  Hoiise,  Kensington.  She  was  married  when  young  and  beauti- 
ful to  Lord  Blessington,  an  elderly  and  easy-going  Peer,  whose  daughter 
by  his  first  wife  was  the  wife  of  Count  d'Orsay.  This  unfortunate 
young  woman  was  eclipsed  in  the  affections  of  d'Orsay  by  her 
stepmother.  After  Lord  Blessington's  death,  d'Orsay  and  Lady  Bless- 
ington presided  over  a  brilliant  salon  at  Kensington  Gore,  principally 
attended  by  the  male  sex.  Lady  Blessington  recorded  in  several 
volumes  her  conversations  with  Bjrron.  Disraeli,  as  a  yoxxng  man, 
flaunted  his  most  elaborate  waistcoats  at  Gore  House. 


1837]  DEATH    OF    LADY    DE    L'ISLE  187 

I  never  saw  anything  look  more  lovely  that  she  did, 
and  she  sang  deliciously,  as  did  also  Rubini  whose 
voice  seems  to  get  if  possible  finer  each  year.  It  is 
useless  to  add  that  the  singing  of  these  4  incom- 
parable and  unequalled  artistes  was,  as  always, 
perfection  !  with  the  exception  perhaps  of  Lablache's 
being  a  little  hoarse  at  times  ;  he  did  not  look  well 
and  was  not  in  his  usual  spirits  I  thought.  The 
Quartet  "  Ah  !  te  o  cara,"  the  Polacca,  "  Suoni  la 
tromba,"  and  "  Ella  e  tremante  "  were  all  loudly 
encored.  After  the  Opera  was  over  the  4  cantanti 
were  called  out  and  loudly  cheered.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  11th  April. — Heard  that  poor  Lady 
De  L'lsle,^  the  King's  eldest  daughter,  had  expired 
at  10  o'clock  the  night  before.  On  the  death  of  old 
Mrs.  Strode  last  February,  the  King  made  Lady  De 
L'Isle  housekeeper  of  Kensington  Palace  ;  and  she 
arrived  here  about  2  or  3  days  after  we  came  from 
Claremont,  was  confined  with  a  daughter  about  a 
month  ago,  and  was  going  on  very  well,  when  she 
was  taken  so  alarmingly  ill,  I  think  on  Sunday. 
It  is  very  awful  and  very  dreadful  for  her  4  poor 
children. 

After  9  we  breakfasted.  At  a  little  before  10 
came  the  Dean  till  12  minutes  to  11.  Read  with 
him  in  the  N.T.  and  in  Hume.  At  11  came  my  good 
Lablache  and  stayed  till  6  minutes  to  12.  He  was 
as  good-humoured,  kind,  ready,  and  gentlemanlike 
as  ever  ;  there  never  is  anv  difference  in  his  manners 
or  ways,  may  he  be  ill,  well,  tired  or  not  tired,  he  is 
always  in  the  same  ready  good-humour.  He  is 
perhaps  a  little  greyer,  mais  voild  tout.  He  was  in 
splendid  voice  and  sang  beautifully.  It  was  quite 
a  delight  for  me  to  hear  his  fine  and  unique  voice 

^  See  ante,  p.  99. 


188  THE    DRAWING-ROOM  t^x.  17 

again  and  to  sing  with  him  ;  it  is  such  a  support 
to  my  voice  and  he  accompanies  so  agreeably.  I 
sang  first  with  him  the  favourite  duo  of  mine : 
"  Vogho  dire,"  from  L'Elisire  d^Amore  ;  then  "  Una 
furtiva  lagrima,"  a  pretty  httle  Aria  from  the  same 
opera,  which  I  repeated  and  which  Catone  used  to 
sing  so  nicely,  as  also  "  Quanto  e  bella  quanto  e  cara  " 
from  L'jE/mV,  which  I  also  sung.  After  this  Lablache 
sang  with  Mamma  and  me  "  Se  il  fratel  stringere  " 
from  Belisario,  which  he  had  never  seen  or  even  heard 
before  !   .   .  . 

Thursday,  20th  April.— I  got  up  at  8.  Read  in 
the  Exposition  while  my  hair  was  doing.  After  9 
we  breakfasted.  Played  and  sang ;  practised  for 
Lablache.  Drew.  At  20  minutes  to  2  we  went  to  the 
Drawing  Room  with  dear  Lehzen,  Lady  Mary  Stop- 
ford,'  Sir  George  Anson  &c.  The  poor  Queen  not 
being  well,  the  King  held  the  Drawing-room,  and 
(strange  to  say)  Princess  Augusta  represented  her. 
There  were  several  young  ladies  presented,  amongst 
whom  were  Lady  Wilhelmina  Stanhope  (daughter 
to  the  Earl  and  Countess  Stanhope),*  a  beautiful 
girl ;  Lady  Fanny  Cowper '  (daughter  to  the  Earl 
and    Countess    Cowper),    also    pretty  ;     Lady    Mary 


^  Eldest  daughter  of  third  Earl  of  Courtown. 

2  Philip  Henry,  fourth  Earl,  and  Lucy  Catherine,  daughter  of  Robert 
Low  Carrington.  Lady  Wilhelmina  married  in  1843  Lord  Dalmeny, 
by  whom  she  had  a  son  (the  present  Lord  Rosebery)  and  three  other 
children.  After  Lord  Dahneny's  death  in  1851,  she  married  in  1854 
the  fourth  Dulce  of  Cleveland.  She  was  one  of  the  Queen's  train- 
bearers  at  her  Coronation.     She  died  in  May  1901. 

3  Daughter  of  the  fifth  Earl  Cowper,  and  niece  to  Lord  Melbourne. 
She  afterwards  married  Lord  Jocelyn.  She  was  a  great  favourite  with 
Queen  Victoria.  After  the  Queen's  marriage  and  her  own  marriage 
she  became  one  of  the  Queen's  Ladies  of  the  Bedchamber,  and  held 
that  post  till  shortly  before  her  (Lady  Jocelyn's)  death. 


1837]  ADDRESS    FROM    LINCOLN  189 

Grimston,*  Miss  Louisa  Percy,^  Miss  Wynn  (niece  to 
the  Duchess  of  Northumberland),  Victoire  Conroy, 
&c.  The  poor  Duchess  of  Northumberland  was 
unable  to  attend  me,  having  a  bad  cold.  We  came 
home  at  20  minutes  p.  3.  .  .  . 

Friday,  19th  May. — Got  up  at  8.  Wrote  the 
hrouillon  of  a  French  letter  to  dearest  Aunt  Louise 
while  my  hair  was  doing.  After  9  we  breakfasted. 
The  children  played  in  the  room.  At  10  Mary,' 
Lehzen,  I  and  the  children  went  out  walking  and  came 
home  at  10  minutes  to  11.  Wrote  my  letter  to  dearest 
Aunt  Louise.  At  J  p.  11  came  M.  Guazzaroni  till 
12.  Received  a  letter  from  the  King  by  Lord 
Conyngham.  .  .  . 

Read  in  W.  Scott's  Life.  Received  an  address 
from  the  Mayor  and  City  of  Lincoln,  which  was 
presented  by  Colonel  Sibthorp  *  and  Mr.  Edward 
Lytton  Bulwer,^  the  two  Members.  I  was  attended 
by  my  dearest  Lehzen,  and  Mamma  by  Lady  Flora. 
Played   and   sung   &c.     Wrote   my   journal.     Drew. 

^  Third  daughter  of  the  first  Earl  of  Verulara,  andafterwards  wife  of 
the  foxirth  Earl  of  Radnor.  The  three  young  ladies  mentioned  here 
were  afterwards  trainbearers  to  Queen  Victoria  at  her  coronation. 

2  Daughter  of  Vice-Adnairal  Josceline  Percy,  and  afterwards  wife  of 
Colonel  Charles  Bagot. 

3  Marie,  Countess  of  Blebelsberg,  born  1806,  married  Prince  Charles 
of  Leiningen  (see  p.  95).     She  died   1880. 

*  Colonel  Sibthorp,  the  eccentric  member  for  Lincoln,  whose 
personal  appearance  was  much  satirised  in  Punch. 

5  Afterwards  Sir  Edward  Bulwer  Lytton  and  Lord  Lytton  of 
Knebworth.  He  was  distinguished  as  a  writer  of  novels  that  enjoyed 
a  great  vogue,  and  as  a  genuine  man  of  letters.  His  abilities  were 
of  a  far  higher  order  than  his  writing.  His  ability  was  his  own,  but 
he  wrote  for  the  public.  He  earned  a  considerable  fortune  by  his 
pen.  For  a  time  he  chose  to  be  a  politician,  and  was  Secretary  for  the 
Colonies  in  Lord  Derby  s  Govermnent.  His  marriage  was  famous 
for  its  failure.  His  son  Robert  was  Viceroy  of  India,  Ambassador 
in  Paris,  and  a  poet  of  more  than  average  merit. 


190  EIGHTEENTH    BIRTHDAY  [jet.  is 

Felt  very  miserable  and  agitated.  Did  not  go  down 
to  dinner,  but  dined  in  my  own  room  at  8  o'clock. 
Stayed  up  till  10. 

Saturday,  20th  May. — Got  up  after  8,  After  9 
we  breakfasted.  The  dear  children  were  in  the  room 
and  played  very  merrily.  Wrote  a  letter  to  the 
King,  which  Mamma  had  previously  written  for  me. 
At  3  minutes  past  11  came  my  buon  Maestro  Lablache, 
looking  pale  and  coughing,  and  complaining  he  was 
still  unwell  and  feared  he  would  remain  so  till  the 
weather  became  warmer.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  2Uh  May. — Today  is  my  18th  birth- 
day !  How  old  !  and  yet  how  far  am  I  from  being 
what  I  should  be.  I  shall  from  this  day  take  the 
firm  resolution  to  study  with  renewed  assiduity,  to 
keep  my  attention  always  well  fixed  on  whatever 
I  am  about,  and  to  strive  to  become  every  day  less 
trifling  and  more  fit  for  what,  if  Heaven  wills  it,  I'm 
some  day  to  be  !  .  .  .  At  J  p.  3  we  drove  out  with 
Mary  and  dear  Lehzen  and  came  home  at  5.  The 
demonstrations  of  loyalty  and  affection  from  all  the 
people  were  highly  gratifying.  The  parks  and  streets 
were  thronged  and  everything  looked  like  a  Gala 
day.  Numbers  of  people  put  down  their  names 
and  amongst  others  good  old  Lablache  inscribed 
his.  .  .  .  At  J  p.  10  we  went  to  the  ball  at  St.  James's 
with  the  Duchess  of  Northumberland,  dear  Lehzen, 
Lady  Flora  and  Lady  Conroy  &c.  The  King  though 
much  better  was  unable  of  course  to  be  there,  and 
the  Queen  neither,  so  that,  strange  to  say.  Princess 
Augusta  made  the  honneurs  !  I  danced  first  with 
LordFitzalan,^  2ndly  with  Prince  Nicholas  Esterhazy,* 

^  Grandson  of  the  twelfth  Duke  of  Norfolk  who  died  in  1842.     He 
succeeded  as  fo\irteenth  Duke  and  died  in  1860. 

2  Son  of  Prince  Paul  Esterhazy,  Austrian  Ambassador.     See  p.  77. 


.r 

a 


/ 


LUIGI    LABLACHE. 
From  a  sketch  by  Princess  Victoria. 


1837]  BALL    AT    ST.    JAMES'S  191 

who  is  a  very  amiable,  agreeable,  gentlemanly 
young  man  ;  3rdly  with  the  Marquis  of  Granby  '  ; 
4thly  with  the  Marquis  of  Douro  *  who  is  very  odd  and 
amusing ;  and  5thly  and  lastly  with  the  Earl  of 
Sandwich  ^  who  is  an  agreeable  young  man.  I 
wished  to  dance  with  Count  Waldstein  who  is  such 
an  amiable  man,  but  he  replied  that  he  could  not 
dance  quadrilles,  and  as  in  my  station  I  unfortunately 
cannot  valse  and  gallop,  I  could  not  dance  with  him. 
The  beauties  there  were  (in  my  opinion)  the  Duchess 
of  Sutherland,  Lady  Frances  (or  Fanny)  Cowper, 
who  is  very  pleasing,  natural  and  clever-looking.  .  .  . 
The  Courtyard  and  the  streets  were  crammed  when 
we  went  to  the  Ball,  and  the  anxiety  of  the  people 
to  see  poor  stupid  me  was  very  great,  and  I  must  say 
I  am  quite  touched  by  it,  and  feel  proud  which  I 
always  have  done  of  my  country  and  of  the  English 
Nation.  I  forgot  to  say  that  before  we  went  to 
dinner  we  saw  the  dear  children.  I  gave  my  beloved 
Lehzen  a  small  brooch  of  my  hair. 

Friday,  26th  May. —  .  .  .  Wrote  a  letter  to  dear 
Uncle  Leopold,  to  dearest  Albert  from  whom  I 
received  a  most  kind  and  affectionate  letter  for 
my  birthday  yesterday,  and  to  Ernest  Hohenlohe. 
Finished  my  brouillon  of  Aunt's  letter  and  began  to 


1  Charles  (1815-88),  afterwards  sixth  Duke  of  Rutland,  K.G.  ;  he 
died  unmarried.     A  man  of  grim  manners  but  not  unkindly  heart. 

2  Arthur  Richard  (1807-84),  afterwards  second  Duke  of  Wellington, 
K.G.  Almost  better  known  by  his  courtesy  title  of  Lord  Douro.  Had 
he  not  been  the  son  of  the  Great  Diike,  his  uncommon  talents  might 
have  earned  for  him  a  career  of  distinction.  In  appearance  he  singu- 
larly resembled  his  august  father,  and  late  in  life  he  was  addicted  to 
a  style  of  costume  which  led  people  to  say  that  he  wore  his  father's 
old  clothes.     He,  however,  possessed  a  pretty  wit. 

'  John  William  (1811-84),  seventh  Earl  of  Sandwich,  afterwards 
Master  of  the  Buckhounds. 


192  ANOTHER    DRAWING-ROOM  [mt.is 

write  it.  At  2  we  went  with  dear  Lehzen  and  I 
received  two  more  Addresses,  one  from  Kidderminster 
presented  (not  read)  by  Lord  Foley  ^  ;   the  other  from 

the   Borough   of  Louth   by   .     First  of   all   the 

Sheriffs  of  the  City  came  and  wished  to  know  when 
we  should  be  pleased  to  receive  the  Address  from 
the  Mayor  and  Corporation  of  London.  .  .  . 

Monday,  29th  May. — At  J  p.  1  we  went  to  the 
Drawing-Room  with  the  Duchess  of  Northumber- 
land, dear  Lehzen,  Lady  Mary  Stopford,  Lady 
Catherine  Jenkinson,  Lady  Flora  Hastings,  Lady 
Cust,  Sir  George  Anson,  &c.  The  King  and  Queen 
being  both  unwell,  though  better,  the  Drawing-room 
was  held  by  the  Princess  Augusta  I  !  It  was  an 
immensely  full  one — 2000  people,  and  we  did  not 
get  home  till  a  J  p.  5.  The  handsomest  people  there 
were :  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland,  Lady  Fanny 
Cowper,  the  Marchioness  of  Abercorn,*  Lady  Sey- 
mour,^ Mrs.  Blackwood,  &c.,  &c.  Countess  Emanuel 
Zichy  (Miss  Strachan  that  was)  and  who  was  also  at 
our  Concert,  was  presented.  Count  Zichy  is  very 
good-looking  in  uniform,   but  not  in  plain  clothes. 


1  Thomas  Henry,  fourth  Lord  Foley  (1808-69). 

2  Louisa,  a  daughter  of  the  sixth  Duke  of  Bedford,  married  James, 
second  Marquess  and  first  Duke  of  Abercorn.  This  Duke  and  his 
Duchess  are  generally  thought  to  have  been  meant  by  the  "  Duke  " 
and  "  Duchess ''  in  Lord  Beaconsfield's  novel  Lothair. 

3  The  three  remarkable  Sheridan  sisters  (granddaughters  of  R.  B. 
Sheridan,  the  dramatist)  were  Lady  Seymour  (afterwards  Duchess 
of  Somerset  and  Queen  of  Beauty  at  the  Eglinton  Tournament),  Lady 
Duiferin  (the  Mrs,  Blackwood  mentioned  above),  and  Mrs.  Norton. 
They  possessed  in  an  vmcommon  degree  the  gift  of  beauty  inlierited 
from  Miss  Linley,  their  grandmother,  and  gifts  of  mind  inherited  from 
Sheridan.  Not  only  Mrs.  Norton,  but  also  Lady  Dufierin,  wrote 
verse  and  prose  with  distinction.  Stuart  of  Dunleath,  a  novel  by  Mrs. 
Norton,  was  much  and  justly  admired.  She  inspired  George  Meredith 
with  the  conception  of  Diana  of  the  Crossways. 


18-17]  CITY    OF    LONDON    ADDRESS  193 

Count  Waldstein  looks  remarkably  well  in  his  pretty 
Hungarian  uniform.   .  .  . 

Tuesday,  SOth  May. — At  J  p.  2  we  went  into  the 
saloon  with  Mary  and  Princess  Sophia,  I  being 
attended  by  the  Duchess  of  Northumberland  and 
dear  Lehzen,  and  Mamma  by  all  her  ladies  and 
gentlemen.  The  Lord  Mayor,  Aldermen  and  Com- 
mons of  the  City  of  London  presented  Mamma  1st 
with  an  Address  to  which  she  read  an  answer,  and 
then  me  with  a  very  kind  one.  I  only  answered  the 
following  words,  from  my  own  accord  :  "I  am  very 
thankful  for  your  kindness  and  my  Mother  has 
expressed  all  my  feelings."  The  Addresses  were 
read  by  the  Recorder  of  London  (Mr.  Law).  There 
were  all  together  150  who  came  up  with  the  Lord 
Mayor.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  Uh  June. — Read  in  the  Exposition  while 
my  hair  was  doing.  At  J  p.  9  we  breakfasted.  The 
children  played  in  the  room.  Wrote  a  letter  to 
dear  Feodore.  Drew.  At  11  we  went  to  Chapel 
with  dear  Lehzen.  The  whole  service  was  performed 
by  Mr.  Jackson.  Wrote  my  journal.  Wrote.  Drew. 
At  a  little  after  3  came  my  good  and  honest  friend, 
Stockmar,^  and  stayed  with  me  till  J  p.  3.  He  had  a 
very  pleasant  and  useful  conversation  with  me  ;  he 
is  one  of  those  few  people  who  tell  plain  honest  truth, 
don't  flatter,  give  wholesome  necessary  advice,  and 
strive  to  do  good  and  smooth  all  dissensions.  He 
is  Uncle  Leopold's  greatest  and  most  confidential 
attached  and  disinterested  friend,  and  I  hope  he  is  the 
same  to  me,  at  least,  I  feel  so  towards  him  ;  Lehzen 
being  of  course  the  greatest  friend  I  have.   .  .  . 

Thursday,  15th  June. — After  9  we  breakfasted. 
The  children  played  in  the  room.     At  10  Mary,  dear 

1  Baron  Stockmar.     See  p.  196. 
I— U 


194  THE    KING'S    ILLNESS  [*t.  is 

Lehzen  and  I  drove  out  and  came  home  at  10  minutes 
to  11.  Wrote  !  !  The  news  of  the  King  are  so  very- 
bad  that  all  my  lessons  save  the  Dean's  are  put  off, 
including  Lablache's,  Mrs.  Anderson's,  Guazzaroni's, 
&c.,  &c.,  and  we  see  nobody.  1  regret  rather  my 
singing-lesson,  though  it  is  only  for  a  short  period, 
but  duty  and  proper  feeling  go  before  all  pleasures. — 10 
minutes  to  1, — I  just  hear  that  the  Doctors  think 
my  poor  Uncle  the  King  cannot  last  more  than  48 
hours  1  Poor  man  !  he  was  alwavs  kind  to  me, 
and  he  meant  it  well  I  know  ;  I  am  grateful  for  it, 
and  shall  ever  remember  his  kindness  with  gratitude. 
He  was  odd,  very  odd  and  singular,  but  his  intentions 
were  often  ill  interpreted  !— Wrote  my  journal.  At 
about  a  J  p.  2  came  Lord  Liverpool  and  I  had  a 
highly  important  conversation  with  him^alone.  .  .  . 

Friday,  IQth  June. —  .  .  .  Began  and  read  to 
Lehzen  out  of  De  Lolme  On  the  English  Consti- 
tution. I  forgot  to  mention  that  Lehzen  finished 
reading  to  me  on  the  16th  of  May  the  delightful 
letters  of  Mme.  de  Sevign6,  and  began  on  the  follow- 
ing day  Les  Memoires  de  VImperatrice  Josephine,  par 
Mdlle.  Le  Normand,  en  2  tomes,  which  is  written  in 
a  very  affected  and  flourished  style,  but  is  amusing. 
The  news  of  the  poor  King  were  a  shade  better.  At 
a  little  after  5  we  drove  out  with  Mary  and  Lehzen 
and  came  home  at  a  J  to  7.  At  J  p.  7  we  dined. 
Saw  the  children  before  dinner.  Sang  un  poco. 
Stayed  up  till  \  p.  10. 

Saturday,  17th  June. — Read  in  the  Exposition 
while  my  hair  was  doing.  After  9  we  breakfasted. 
The  children  played  in  the  room.  At  10  Mary,  dear 
Lehzen,  the  dear  children  and  I  drove  out  and  came 
home  at  11.  I  like  Mary  very  much  ;  she  is  a  very 
honest,  warm-hearted,  good  soul,  and  very  susceptible 


1837]  THE    KING    DYING  195 

of  kindness  shown  to  her ;  she  is  extremely  discreet  and 
retiring  too.  The  news  of  the  King  are  worse  again 
today.  Wrote  my  journal  &c.  Arranged  some  prints 
&c.  At  a  little  after  2  came  Baron  Stockmar  and  stayed 
till  near  3.  The  news  of  the  poor  King  were  very 
bad  !  Drew.  At  a  J  to  5  we  drove  out  with  Mary, 
Lehzen  and  dear  little  Edward,  who  was  very  funny 
and  amusing.     We  came  home  at  6.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  18th  June. — Got  up  at  8.  After  9  we 
breakfasted.  The  children  played  in  the  room.  At 
10  we  went  down  to  prayers  with  dear  Lehzen.  The 
Dean  read  and  preached.  The  text  was  from  the 
2nd  Chapter  of  St.  John's  epistle,  5th  verse.  Drew 
and  j^ainted.  Mary  came  up  with  Edward  and  stayed 
some  time.  Edward  also  remained  alone  with  me  for  a 
J  of  an  hour.  Painted.  Saw  Stockmar,  who  brought 
me  a  letter  from  Uncle  Leoj^old  !  ! — Painted.  The 
poor  King,  they  say,  can  live  but  a  few  hours  more  ! 
— Wrote  my  journal.  .  .  . 

Monday,  19th  June. — Got  up  at  a  J  p.  8.  Read 
in  Les  Veillees  du  Chateau  while  my  hair  was  doing. 
After  9  we  breakfasted.  The  children  played  in  the 
room.  At  a  J  p.  10  Mary,  Lehzen,  the  children  and 
I  drove  out  and  came  home  at  a  little  after  11. 
Read  in  Les  Veillees  du  Chateau.  Wrote  my 
journal.  Saw  Dr.  Clark.  Saw  Ernest  Hohenlohe 
who  brought  me  the  news  from  Windsor  that 
the  poor  King  was  so  ill  that  he  could  hardly  live 
through  the  day.  He  likewise  brought  me  a  very 
kind  message  from  the  poor  Queen,  and  also  one 
from  the  poor  old  King.  After  7  we  dined.  Saw 
the  children  before  dinner  for  a  minute.  Stayed  up 
till  a  J  p.  10.  Read  in  W.  Scott's  life  while  my 
hair  was  undoing. 

Tuesday^  20th  June. — I  was  awoke  at  6  o'clock 


196  THE    KING'S    DEATH  [iEr.is 

by  Mamma,  who  told  me  that  the  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury  *  and  Lord  Conyngham  ^  were  here,  and 
wished  to  see  me.  I  got  out  of  bed  and  went  into 
my  sitting-room  (only  in  my  dressing-gown),  and 
alone,  and  saw  them.  Lord  Conyngham  (the  Lord 
Chamberlain)  then  acquainted  me  that  my  poor 
Uncle,  the  King,  was  no  more,  and  had  expired  at 
12  minutes  p.  2  this  morning,  and  consequently 
that  I  am  Queen.  Lord  Conyngham  knelt  down 
and  kissed  my  hand,  at  the  same  time  delivering  to 
me  the  official  announcement  of  the  poor  King's 
demise.  The  Archbishop  then  told  me  that  the 
Queen  was  desirous  that  he  should  come  and  tell 
me  the  details  of  the  last  moments  of  my  poor, 
good  Uncle  ;  he  said  that  he  had  directed  his  mind 
to  religion,  and  had  died  in  a  perfectly  happy,  quiet 
state  of  mind,  and  was  quite  prepared  for  his  death. 
He  added  that  the  King's  sufferings  at  the  last  were 
not  very  great  but  that  there  was  a  good  deal  of 
uneasiness.  Lord  Conyngham,  whom  I  charged  to 
express  my  feelings  of  condolence  and  sorrow  to  the 
poor  Queen,  returned  directly  to  Windsor.  I  then 
went  to  my  room  and  dressed. 

Since  it  has  pleased  Providence  to  place  me  in 
this  station,  I  shall  do  my  utmost  to  fulfil  my  duty 
towards  my  country  ;  I  am  very  young  and  perhaps 
in  many,  though  not  in  all  things,  inexperienced, 
but  I  am  sure,  that  very  few  have  more  real  good 
will  and  more  real  desire  to  do  what  is  fit  and 
right  than  I  have. 

Breakfasted,  during  which  time  good  faithful 
Stockmar  ^  came  and  talked  to  me.     Wrote  a  letter 

^  Dr.  Howley.     See  ante,  p.  68. 

2  Second  Marquess.     See  ante,  p.  98. 

^  Baron    Christian    Stockniar    (1787-1863),     physician    to  Prince 


1837]  LORD    MELBOURNE  197 

to  dear  Uncle  Leopold  and  a  few  words  to  dear  good 
Feodore.  Received  a  letter  from  Lord  Melbourne  ^ 
in  which  he  said  he  would  wait  upon  me  at  a  little 
before  9.  At  9  came  Lord  Melbourne,  whom  I  saw 
in  my  room,  and  of  course  quite  alone  as  I  shall 
always  do  all  my  Ministers.  He  kissed  my  hand  and 
I  then  acquainted  him  that  it  had  long  been  my 
intention  to  retain  him  and  the  rest  of  the  present 
Ministry  at  the  head  of  affairs,  and  that  it  could  not 
be  in  better  hands  than  his.  He  then  again  kissed 
my  hand.  He  then  read  to  me  the  Declaration  which 
I  was  to  read  to  the  Council,  which  he  wrote  himself 
and  which  is  a  very  fine  one.  I  then  talked  with 
him  some  little  longer  time  after  which  he  left  me. 
He  was  in  full  dress.  I  like  him  very  much  and  feel 
confidence  in  him.  He  is  a  very  straightforward, 
honest,  clever  and  good  man.  I  then  wrote  a  letter 
to  the  Queen.  At  about  11  Lord  Melbourne  came 
again  to  me  and  spoke  to  me  upon  various  subjects. 
At  about  J  p.  11  I  went  downstairs  and  held  a 
Council  in  the  red  saloon.  I  went  in  of  course  quite 
alone,  and  remained  seated  the  whole  time.  My 
two  Uncles,  the  Dukes  of  Cumberland  *  and  Sussex,' 

Leopold,  and  subsequently  his  confidential  agent.  He  abandoned 
medicine  for  statecraft,  in  which  he  became  an  expert.  He  was  en- 
trusted by  King  Leopold  to  superintend  the  education  of  Prince  Albert 
and  guide  Queen  Victoria,  both  of  which  services  he  performed  with 
consummate  tact  and  integrity.  He  was  their  devoted  friend  and 
counsellor  to  the  end  of  his  life.     See  ante,  p.  154. 

^  William  Lamb,  Viscount  Melbourne  (1779-1848),  was  at  tliis  time 
Prime  Minister  and  fifty-eight  years  old. 

2  Ernest  Augustus  (1771-1851),  fifth  son  of  George  IIL  He  was 
considered  unscrupulous,  and  was  certainly  most  unpopular  in  this 
country.  He  now  succeeded  WilUam  IV.  as  King  of  Hanover.  Al- 
though of  autocratic  temperament,  he  granted  his  subjects  a  demo- 
cratic constitution,  much  to  their  surprise. 

3  Augustus  Frederick  (1773-1843),  sixth  son  of  George  III.  His 
marriage  to  Lady  Augusta  Murray  was  declared  void  under  the  Royal 

1—14* 


198  PRIVY   COUNCIL   MEETING  [^t.is 

and  Lord  Melbourne  conducted  me.  The  declaration, 
the  various  forms,  the  swearing  in  of  the  Privy 
Councillors  of  which  there  were  a  great  number 
present,  and  the  reception  of  some  of  the  Lords  of 
Council,  previous  to  the  Council  in  an  adjacent  room 
(likewise  alone)  I  subjoin  here.  I  was  not  at  all 
nervous  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  hearing  that 
people  were  satisfied  with  what  I  had  done  and  how 
I  had  done  it.  Receiving  after  this,  Audiences  of 
Lord  Melbourne,  Lord  John  Russell,  Lord  Albemarle 
(Master  of  the  Horse),  and  the  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, all  in  my  room  and  alone.  Saw  Stockmar. 
Saw  Clark,  whom  I  named  my  Physician.  Saw 
Mary.  Wrote  to  Uncle  Ernest.  Saw  Ernest  Hohen- 
lohe  who  brought  me  a  kind  and  very  feeling  letter 
from  the  poor  Queen.  I  feel  very  much  for  her,  and 
really  feel  that  the  poor  good  King  was  always  so 
kind  personally  to  me,  that  I  should  be  ungrateful 
were  I  not  to  recollect  it  and  feel  grieved  at  his 
death.  The  poor  Queen  is  wonderfully  composed 
now,  I  hear.  Wrote  my  journal.  Took  my  dinner 
upstairs  alone.  Went  downstairs.  Saw  Stockmar. 
At  about  20  minutes  to  9  came  Lord  Melbourne  and 
remained  till  near  10.  I  had  a  very  important  and  a 
very  comfortable  conversation  with  him.  Each  time  I 
see  him  I  feel  more  confidence  in  him  ;  I  find  him  very 
kind  in  his  manner  too.  Saw  Stockmar.  Went  down 
and  said  good-night  to  Mamma  &c.  My  cZ^arLehzen 
will  ALWAYS  remain  with  me  as  my  friend  but  will  take 
no  situation  about  me,  and  I  think  she  is  right. 
Wednesday,  2l5<  June. — Got  up  at  8.     At  9  we 

Marriages  Act.  He  had  by  her  two  children,  Sir  Augustus  d'Este  and 
Mile.  d'Este  (afterwards  wife  of  Lord  Chancellor  Truro).  He  married, 
secondly.  Lady  Cecilia  Buggin  (nee  Gore,  daughter  of  the  Earl  of 
Arran),  and  to  her  was  granted  the  title  of  Duchess  of  Inverness. 


1837]  THE   PROCLAMATION  199 

all  breakfasted.  At  J  p.  9  I  went  to  St.  James's  in 
state.  Mamma  and  Lad}^  Mary  Stopford  were  in 
my  carriage,  and  Lord  Albemarle,  Col.  Cavendish, 
Lady  Flora  Hastings,  and  Col.  Harcourt  in  the 
others.  .  .  .  After  the  Proclamation  Mamma  and 
the  ladies  repaired  to  an  adjoining  room  and  left  me 
in  the  Closet.  I  gave  audiences  to  Lord  Melbourne 
(a  long  one),  the  Earl  Marshal  (Duke  of  Norfolk), 
and  Garter  King  at  Arms  (Sir  John  Woods),  relative 
to  the  funeral  of  my  poor  Uncle  the  late  King  ;  to 
Lord  Albemarle,  Lord  Hill,  Lord  Melbourne  (again 
for  some  time),  and  the  Lord  President  (Lord  Lans- 
downe).  I  then  held  a  Privy  Council  in  the  Throne 
Room.  It  was  not  fully  attended  and  was  not  the 
third  part  so  full  as  it  had  been  on  the  preceding 
d^y.  The  Marquis  of  Anglesey,'  the  Chancellor  of 
the  Exchequer  (Mr.  Spring  Rice),^  Lords  Wharncliffe,' 
Ashburton,*  and  Wynford,^  Sir  Hussey  Vivian,'  and 


^  Henry  William  Paget,  first  Marquess  of  Anglesey  (1768-1854). 
Commanded  the  Cavalry  at  Waterloo.  When  a  round  shot  tore  between 
him  and  the  Duke  of  WeUington,  he  turned  to  the  Duke  and  said, 
"  By  God !  I  have  lost  my  leg,"  and  the  Diike  replied,  "  By  God  !  I 
believe  you  have."  This  conversation  sums  up  the  two  men. 
Lord  Anglesey  was  a  Field-Marshal  and  Viceroy  of  Ireland,  where  he  dis- 
played a  tendency  to  liberal  ideas  that  were  not  considered  in  accord- 
ance with  his  profession  or  station.  There  was  never  a  more  gallant 
soldier,  and  he  "  had  not  a  fold  in  his  character." 

2  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer.     An  intelligent  politician  and  respon- 
sible for  the  adoption  of  the  penny  post.    He  was  anxious  for  the  Speaker 
ship,  but  failed  to  win  the  fancy  of  the  House  of  Commons.     He  passed 
to  the  House  of  Lords  as  Lord  Monteagle  in  1839  and  died  in  1866. 

^  James,  first  Lord  Wharncliffe.  A  Yorkshire  magnate  and  Mem- 
ber of  Parliament.     Created  a  Peer  1826.     See  ante,  p.  54. 

*  Alexander  Baring,  first  Lord  Ashburton  (1774-1848).  President 
of  the  Board  of  Trade  in  Lord  Grey's  Administration. 

8  Sir  William  Draper  Best  (1767-1845),  first  Lord  Wynford,  for- 
merly Chief  Justice  of  the  Common  Pleas. 

'  A  distinguished  soldier,  at  this  time  Lieut. -General  and  Master  of 


200  VARIOUS    AUDIENCES  [iEx.is 

some  Judges  were  sworn  in  as  Privy  Councillors  and 
kissed  hands.  After  the  Council  I  gave  audiences 
to  Lord  Melbourne,  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
and  all  the  Bishops  except  one  or  two,  the  Lord 
Chancellor  and  all  the  Judges  ;  Sir  Hussey  Vivian 
(Master  General  of  the  Ordnance),  Lord  John 
Russell,  Lord  Glenelg,'  Mr.  Poulett  Thomson,^  Lord 
Howick,^  Lord  Palmerston,  and  Lord  Minto.*  I  then 
returned  home  at  1.  I  must  say  it  was  quite  like 
a  dream  and  a  sad  one,  when  I  was  seated  in  the 
Closet  where  but  barely  5  weeks  ago  I  beheld  for 
the  last  time  my  poor  Uncle.  At  2  came  Stockmar 
till  after  3.  Wrote  to  the  Duchess  of  Gloucester 
and  Princess  Augusta.'  Walked.  Saw  the  Duke  of 
Norfolk.  Wrote  my  journal.  At  7  we  dined.  At 
10  minutes  to  9  came  Lord  Melbourne  and  stayed 
with  me  till  10.  I  had  an  agreeable  and  important 
and  satisfactorv  conversation  with  him.  Staved 
up   till  a  J   p.   10.      Lord   Hill  told   me   a    curious 

the  Ordnance.     M.P.   for  Windsor.     Afterwards  created  Lord  Vivian 

(1841). 

1  Charles  Grant,  first  and  only  Lord  Glenelg  (1778-1866),  at  this 
time  Secretary  for  the  Colonies.  Three  years  before  he  had  been 
proposed  as  Governor-General  of  India,  but  his  nomination  was  re- 
jected by  the  Board  of  Directors. 

2  Afterwards  Lord  Sydenham  (1799-1841).  At  this  time  Presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Trade.  In  1839  he  was  appointed  Governor- 
General  of  Canada.  He  died  there,  aged  forty-one,  from  a  fall 
from  his  horse. 

3  Henry  George,  afterwards  third  Earl  Grey  (1802-94),  at  this 
time  Secretary-at-War  and  Colonial  Secretary.  An  honest  and  fearless 
statesman,  but  a  difficiilt  colleague. 

*  Gilbert,  second  Earl  of  Minto  (1782-1859),  First  Lord  of  the 
Admiralty.  In  1832  he  had  been  sent  on  a  special  mission  to  Berlin 
"  to  mollify  the  I^ng  of  Prussia."  This  type  of  mission  has  always 
been  popular  with  the  Whigs. 

^  Daughter  of  George  III.  She  lived  at  Frogmore  and  at  Clarence 
House.     See  ante,  p.  61. 


1837]  COMMUNICATION    WITH    MINISTERS  201 

coincidence  which  is  that  the  21st  of  June,  the 
day  on  which  I  was  proclaimed,  is  likewise  the 
anniversary  of  the  Battle  of  Vittoria  ! 

Thursday,  22nd  June. — Got  up  after  8.  After  9 
we  breakfasted.  The  children  played  in  the  room. 
At  a  J  p.  10  I  walked  out  with  Mary,  Lehzen,  Charles 
and  Edward,  and  came  home  at  20  minutes  to  11. 
Wrote  to  the  Duchess  of  Gloucester.  Wrote  my 
journal.  At  12  came  the  Judge  Advocate  General 
(Mr.  Cutlar  Ferguson)  '  to  submit  various  sentences 
of  Court  Martial  to  me.  He  is  a  very  clever  intelli- 
gent man  and  explained  all  the  cases  very  clearly 
to  me.     I,  of  course,  saw  him  alone.  .  .  . 

Friday,  23rd  June,— Got  up  at  J  p.  8.  After  9 
we  breakfasted.  The  children  played  in  the  room. 
I  do  not  mention  the  very  frequent  communications 
I  have  with  Lord  Melbourne,  Lord  John  Russell,' 
&c.,  &c.,  &c.,  as  also  the  other  official  letters  I  have  to 
write  and  receive,  for  want  of  time  and  space.  Saw 
good  Stockmar,  who  remained  in  my  room  for  some 
time.  Saw  the  Marquis  of  Conyngham,  then  Lord 
Hill,  who  explained  to  me  finally  about  the  Court 
Martials,  then  Sir  Henry  Wheatley  »  and  Col.  Wood, 

^  Robert  Cutlar  Ferguson  had  been  counsel  for  one  of  the  de- 
fendants in  the  trial  of  Arthur  O'Connor  and  others  for  treason  at 
Maidstone  in  1798.  O'Connor  was  acquitted,  but  the  presence  in 
Court  of  Bow  Street  runners  to  arrest  him  on  a  second  charge  caused 
a  scene  of  much  confusion,  one  consequence  being  the  prosecution  of 
Cutlar  Ferguson,  Lord  Thanet,  and  others  for  an  attempted  rescue. 
Ferguson  was  imprisoned  for  a  year  and  fined  £100.  Upon  his 
liberation  he  went  to  Calcutta,  where  he  established  himself  in  large 
and  lucrative  practice.     He  died  in  1838. 

2  Lord  John  Russell  (1792-1878)  was  at  this  time  forty-five  years 
old.  Home  Secretary  and  Leader  of  the  House  of  Commons.  He  was 
at  the  height  of  his  combative  powers  as  a  ParUamentarian,  and  his 
zeal  for  Whig  doctrine  at  home  and  Liberal  statesmanship  abroad 
was  imdiminished. 

3  Private  Secretary  to  William  IV. 


202  HOUSEHOLD    APPOINTMENTS  [.et.is 

who  as  Executors  of  the  late  King,  brought  me  his 
Will.  At  ^  p.  12  arrived  Lady  Catherine  '  who  re- 
mained in  one  of  my  sitting-rooms  till  now  and  still 
remains  (4  o'clock)  answering  letters,  &c.,  &c.  Saw 
the  Duke  of  Argyll  (Lord  Steward)  at  |  p.  2.  I 
wrote  a  letter  to  the  Marchioness  of  Tavistock'  while 
Stockmar  was  here,  asking  her  to  become  one  of 
my  Ladies  of  the  Bedchamber.  Lay  down.  Wrote 
to  the  Marchioness  of  Lansdowne,^  asking  her  to 
become  my  first  Lady  of  the  Bedchamber.  At  J  p.  5 
I  drove  out  with  Mary  and  Lehzen,  and  came  home 
at  J  p.  6.  After  7  we  all  dined.  I  had  a  great 
deal  of  business  to  do  after  dinner.  Saw  Stockmar. 
Received  a  very  kind  letter  from  Lady  Lansdowne 
accepting  the  situation.  After  dinner  came  Princess 
Sophia.     Stayed  up  till  after  10. 

Saturday,  24/^  June. — Got  up  after  8.  At  J  p.  9 
we  all  breakfasted.  The  children  played  in  the 
room.  Wrote  a  letter  to  the  Duke  of  Sussex,  and 
to  good  Spath.  At  11  came  Lord  Melbourne  and 
stayed  till  12.  He  is  a  very  honest,  good  and  kind- 
hearted,  as  well  as  very  clever  man.  He  told  me  that 
Lady  Tavistock  had  accepted  the  situation.  And 
he  read  to  me  the  answer  which  I  was  to  give  to 
the  address  from  the  House  of  Lords.  He  told  me 
that  the  Duke  of  Argyll  would  bring  the  Address 
but  would  not  read  it  ;  and  consequently  I  was  not 
to  read  mine.  Wrote.  At  12  came  Lady  Catherine 
Jenkinson  and  remained  in  my  room  till  near  3. 
Saw  Stockmar  at  a  little  after  12.  Saw  Sir  Frederick 
Wetherall.''     Saw     Lord     John     Russell.      Wrote. — I 

^  Lady  C.  Jenkinson,  daughter  of  the  Earl  of  Liverpool.     See  p.  46. 
2  Anna  Maria,  daughter  of  the  third  Earl  of  Harrington. 
^  Louisa  Fox-Strangways,  daughter  of  the  second  Earl  of  Ilehester. 
*  He  had  been  executor  to  the  Queen's  father.     One  of  her  first 


1837]  VISIT   TO    WINDSOR  208 

really  have  immensely  to  do  ;  I  receive  so  many 
communications  from  my  Ministers  but  I  like  it 
verv  much.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  25th  June. — Got  up  at  8.  At  J  p.  9  we 
breakfasted.  The  children  played  in  the  room.  At 
10  I  went  down  to  prayers  with  Mamma,  Mary, 
Lehzen,  and  Charles.  The  service  was  read  by 
the  Dean  who  was  much  affected  when  he  read  the 
prayers  in  which  my  name  is  now  mentioned  in  the 
place  of  my  poor  Uncle,  the  late  King.  He  preached 
a  very  good  and  appropriate  sermon  ;  the  text  of 
which  was  from  the  3rd  chapter  of  the  Epistle  General 
of  St.  Peter,  13th  and  14th  verses.  ...  At  a  few 
minutes  p.  12  came  the  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer 
(Mr.  Spring  Rice)  and  stayed  some  time.  He  is  a 
very  clever  and  good  man.  ...  At  about  20  minutes 
p.  4  came  Lord  Melbourne  till  20  minutes  p.  5.  He 
is  a  good,  honest,  kind-hearted  and  clever  man,  and 
I  like  to  talk  to  him.  .  .  . 

Monday,  26th  June. — Got  up  at  8.  Before  9  we 
breakfasted.  At  J  p.  9  went  with  Mamma  to 
Windsor.  I  was  attended  by  Lady  Tavistock  and 
Colonel  Cavendish,^  and  Mamma  by  Lady  Flora 
Hastings.  We  arrived  at  the  Castle,  which  looked 
very  mournful  and  melancholy  with  the  flag  half 
mast  high,  at  about  a  J  p.  11.  We  went  instantly 
to  the  poor  Queen's  apartments.*  She  received  me 
most  kindly  but  was   at   first   much   affected.     She 

acts  was  to  discharge  the  debts  contracted  by  the  Duke  of  Kent,  which 
the  Duchess  had  never  been  able  to  pay  off.     See  ante,  p.  69. 

1  Colonel  the  Hon.  H.  F.  C.  Cavendish  (1789-1873),  son  of  Lord 
Burlington.  Clerk-Marshal  to  the  Queen.  Married  as  his  second  wife 
Frances  Susan,  sister  of  Lord  Durham. 

^  Queen  Adelaide,  the  Queen  Dowager,  a  Princess  of  the  House  of 
Saxe-Meiningen.  Her  attitude  towards  the  young  Queen  was  absolutely 
perfect,  in  its  simple  dignity  and  freedom  from  every  taint  of  envy. 


204  QUEEN    ADELAIDE  [^t.is 

however  soon  regained  her  self-possession  and  was 
wonderfully  calm  and  composed.  She  gave  us  many 
painfully  interesting  details  of  the  illness  and  last 
moments  of  my  poor  Uncle  the  late  King.  He  bore 
his  dreadful  sufferings  with  the  most  exemplary 
patience  and  always  thanked  Heaven  when  these 
sufferings  were  but  slightly  and  momentarily  alle- 
viated. He  was  in  the  happiest  state  of  mind 
possible  and  his  death  was  worthy  his  high  station. 
He  felt  so  composed  and  seemed  to  find  so  much 
consolation  in  Religion.     The  Queen  is  really  a  most 

'  estimable  and  excellent  person  and  she  bears  the 
prospect  of  the  great  change  she  must  soon  go 
through  in  leaving  Windsor  and  changing  her  posi- 
tion in  a  most  admirable,  strong  and  high-minded 
manner.     I   do   not   think   her   looking   ill   and   the 

\  widow's  cap  and  weeds  rather  become  her.  I  saw 
Ernest  Hohenlohe,  Gustav  and  Prince  Ernest  of 
Hesse  P.B.  We  left  Windsor  at  J  p.  12.  It  gave 
me  a  very  painful  feeling  to  think  that  the  remains 
of  my  poor  Uncle  were  in  the  Castle.  Altogether 
the  whole  rather  upset  me.  We  came  at  J  p.  2.  I 
forgot  to  say  that  Lord  Melbourne  told  me  that  the 
Duchess  of  Sutherland  ^  has  accepted  the  office  of 
Mistress  of  the  Robes,  and  the  Countess  of  Charie- 
mont  *  of  one  of  my  ladies  of  the  Bedchamber.  At 
J  p.  2  came  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland,  whom  I  am 
delighted  to  have  as  my  Mistress  of  the  Robes  ;  she 
was  looking  so  handsome  and  nice.  At  about  10 
minutes  to  4  came  Lord  Melbourne  and  stayed  till 
J  p.  4.  I  talked  with  him  as  usual  on  Political 
affairs,  about  my  Household,  and  various  other 
Confidential  affairs.  .  .  . 

^  Georgina  Howard,  daughter  of  the  sixth  Earl  of  Carlisle. 
^  Anne,  wife  of  Francis  William,  second  Earl  of  Charlexnont. 


h 


I 


'\\ 


\ 


1837]  ADDRESSES    FROM    PARLIAMENT  205 

Tuesday,  27th  June. — Got  up  at  }  p.  8.  At  a  J 
to  10  we  breakfasted.  The  children  played  in  the 
room.  Wrote  my  journal.  At  about  20  minutes 
p.  11  came  Lord  Melbourne  and  stayed  till  J  p.  12. 
At  a  little  after  |  p.  12  came  Lord  Palmerston  and 
stayed  till  a  little  p.  1.  He  is  a  clever  and  agreeable 
man.  Saw  Lord  John  Russell  and  Lord  Melbourne 
for  a  minute.  At  a  few  minutes  p.  2  I  went  down 
into  the  saloon  with  Lady  Lansdowne  ;  Col.  Caven- 
dish, the  Vice-Chamberlain  (Lord  Charles  Fitzroy)/ 
and  the  Comptroller  of  the  Household  (Mr.  Byng)^ 
were  in  waiting.  Lord  Melbourne  then  came  in  and 
announced  that  the  Addresses  from  the  House  of 
Commons  were  ready  to  come  in.  They  were  read 
by  Lord  John  Russell  and  I  read  an  answer  to  both. 
Lord  Melbourne  stood  on  my  left  hand  and  Lady 
Lansdowne  behind  me.  Most  of  the  Privy  Coun- 
cillors of  the  House  of  Commons  were  present.  After 
this  Lord  Palmerston  brought  in  the  Earl  of  Dur- 
ham,' who  is  just  returned  from  St.  Petersburg.  I 
conferred  on  him  the  Grand  Cross  of  the  Bath.  I 
knighted  him  with  the  Sword  of  State  which  is  so  / 
enormously  heavy  that  Lord  Melbourne  was  obliged 
to  hold  it  for  me,  and  I  only  inclined  it.  I  then  put 
the  ribbon  over  his  shoulder.  After  this  the  foreign 
Ambassadors  and  Ministers  were  severally  introduced 
to  me  by  Lord  Palmerston.  I  then  went  upstairs  and 
gave  audiences  to  the  Earl  of  Mulgrave  *  and  to  the 

^  Second  son  of  the  fourth  Duke  of  Grafton. 

2  George  Byng,  afterwards  second  Earl  of  Strafford. 

^  Lord  Durham,  by  his  charming  manners,  had  overcome  certain 
prejudice  which  had  been  felt  in  St.  Petersbvirg  on  his  appointment. 
He  was  exceedingly  popular  with  the  Emperor.  He  returned  to  Eng- 
land, it  was  said,  "a  greater  aristocrat  than  ever."     See  ante,  p.  81. 

*  Lord  Mulgrave  was  created  Marquess  of  Normanby  in  1838. 
A  member  of  Lord  Melbourne's  Administration  in  1834,  he  was  sent 


206  CONGENIAL    WORK  [^t.  is 

Earl  of  Durham.  The  latter  gave  a  long  account  of 
Russia.  Did  various  things.  Saw  Stockmar.  As  I 
did  not  feel  well  I  did  not  come  down  to  dinner,  but 
dined  upstairs.  I  went  down  after  dinner.  Stayed 
up  till  10.  I  wore  the  blue  Ribbon  and  Star  of  the 
Garter  in  the  afternoon.  ...  I 

Saturday,  1st  July. — Got  up  after  8.     At  J  p.  9  [ 

we  breakfasted.     Edward  played  in  the  room  only,  ( 

Ernest  not  being  good.     Wrote.     I  repeat  what   I  ' 

said  before  that  I  have  so  many  communications 
from  the  Ministers,  and  from  me  to  them,  and  I  get 
so  many  papers  to  sign  every  day,  that  I  have  always 
a  very  great  deal  to  do  ;  but  for  want  of  time  and 
space  I  do  not  write  these  things  down.  I  delight  in 
this  work.  Saw  Lord  Melbourne.  At  about  J  p.  11 
or  a  1^  to  12  came  Mr.  Spring  Rice.  Saw  Lord  John 
Russell.  Wrote  &c.  At  2  came  Sir  Henry  Wheatley 
to  kiss  hands  upon  being  appointed  my  Privy  Purse. 
At  a  little  after  2  I  saw  Stockmar  for  a  minute.  At 
10  minutes  p.  2  came  Lord  Palmerston  and  stayed 
till  6  minutes  p.  3.  We  talked  about  Russia  and 
Turkey  a  good  deal  &c.  He  is  very  agreeable,  and 
clear  in  what  he  says.  Saw  Stockmar  for  some  time 
afterwards.  Wrote  my  journal.  I  forgot  to  mention 
that  I  received  a  letter  from  dearest  Aunt  Louise  in 
the  morning.  The  children  played  in  my  room  for  a 
little  while.  At  J  past  5  I  drove  out  with  Mamma 
and  dear  Lehzen  and  came  home  at  20  minutes  to 
7.     At  J  p.  7  we  dined.     Stayed  up  till  a  J  p.  10. 

Sunday,  2nd  July. — Got  up  at  |  p.  8.     At  |  p.  9 
we  breakfasted.     The  children  played  in  the  room. 

to  Ireland  as  Viceroy,  and  then  returned  to  the  Cabinet  as  Secretary 
of  State.  While  the  Whigs  were  in  office  he  was  never  without  a  place. 
He  was  subsequently  Ambassador  in  Paris,  and  under  Lord  Palmerston 
supported  Napoleon  III.  through  the  stormy  days  of  the  cou/p  d'etat. 


1837]  MELBOURNE    AND    STOCKMAR  207 

At  10  I  went  to  prayers  with  Mamma,  Mary,  and 
dear  Lehzen.  The  service  was  performed  by  the 
Dean  who  gave  us  also  a  very  good  sermon.  The 
text  was  from  the  Gth  chapter  of  St.  Matthew,  9th 
and  10th  verses.  Wrote,  signed,  &c.  Wrote  to 
dear  Feodore.  Received  a  kind  long  letter  from 
dear  Uncle  Leopold.  At  10  minutes  to  2  came  Lord 
Melbourne  till  a  few  minutes  p.  3.  Talked  with  him 
about  many  important  things.  He  is  indeed  a  most 
truly  honest,  straightforward  and  noble-minded  man 
and  I  esteem  myself  most  fortunate  to  have  such  a  | 
man  at  the  head  of  the  Government  ;  a  man  in  whom 
I  can  safely  place  confidence.  There  are  not  many 
like  him  in  this  world  of  deceit  !  Mary  and  the 
children  came  up  for  a  few  minutes.  At  a  little 
before  4  came  Stockmar  and  stayed  till  a  little  before 
5.  He  is  a  most  honest,  excellent,  disinterested  and 
straightforward  man,  and  most  exceedingly  attached 
and  devoted  to  me  ;  he  has  been,  and  is,  of  the 
greatest  use  to  me.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  Sth  July. — Got  up  at  a  little  after  8. 
At  J  p.  9  we  breakfasted.  The  children  played  in 
the  room.  Signed,  &c.  Sat  to  Mr.  Lane  for  a  few 
minutes.  Wrote  to  the  poor  Queen  from  whom  I 
received  a  very  kind  letter  last  night ;  &c.,  &c.  Saw 
good  Stockmar  for  some  time.  Saw  Lord  John 
Russell.  At  a  few  minutes  p.  12  came  my  good  and 
honest  friend  Lord  Melbourne  and  stayed  till  20 
minutes  p.  1.  Talked  over  many  important  things. 
Saw  Mr.  Spring  Rice.  ...  I  forgot  to  say  that  Lord 
Melbourne  wrote  me  word  yesterday  evening  that 
Lady  Mulgrave  ^  was  very  desirous  to  become  one  of 

1  Lady  Mulgrave  was  Maria  Liddell,  eldest  daughter  of  the  first  Lord 
Ravensworth.  She  had  married,  in.  1818,  the  second  Earl  of  Mulgrave, 
who  was  created  Marquess  of  Normanby  in  1838.     See  p.  205. 


/ 


208  THE    KING'S    FUNERAL  [^t.is 

my  Ladies  of  the  Bedchamber,  and  I  told  Lord  Mel- 
bourne this  morning  that  I  would  make  her  one  of 
my  ladies.  Wrote  to  Lady  Lyttelton  ^  to  ask  her 
to  become  one  of  my  ladies  of  the  Bedchamber  (in 
a  year),  for  she  is  still  in  widow's  weeds.  ...  At  a 
J  p.  7  1,  Mamma,  Mary  and  Lehzen  dined,  Charles 
having  gone  at  5  o'clock  to  Windsor  to  attend  the 
funeral  of  my  poor  Uncle,  the  late  King.  It  was 
very  very  sad  to  hear  from  \  p.  8  till  nearly  10 
o'clock,  those  dreadful  minute  guns  !  Alas  !  my 
poor  Uncle,  he  now  reposes  in  quiet  and  peace  !  As 
Lord  Melbourne  said  to  me,  the  first  morning  when 
I  became  Queen,  that  the  poor  King  *'  had  his  faults 
as  we  all  have,  but  that  he  possessed  many  valuable 
qualities."  I  have  heard  from  all  sides  that  he  was 
really  very  fond  of  me,  and  I  shall  ever  retain  a 
grateful  sense  of  his  kindness  to  me  and  shall  never 
forget  him.  Life  is  short  and  uncertain,  and  I  am 
determined  to  employ  my  time  well,  so  that  when 
I  am  called  awav  from  this  world  mv  end  may  be 
a  peaceful  and  a  happy  one  !   .  .  . 

Tuesday,  11th  July, — Got  up  at  8.  At  J  p.  9  we 
breakfasted.  The  children  played  in  the  room.  At 
a  little  after  10,  sat  to  Mr.  Lane  for  a  few  minutes. 
Saw  Col.  Cavendish.  Wrote,  &c.,  &c.  At  J  p.  11. 
came  Stockmar  who  brought  me  the  unwelcome  news 
of  poor  Lord  Melbourne's  continued  indisposition 
and  total  incapability  of  coming  to  see  me  to-day, 
which  I  regret  for  two  reasons :  first  because  I  have 
many  things  to  ask  him,  2ndly  because  I  like  very  much 
to  talk  to  him,  as  he  is  so  quiet  in  what  he  says.  .  .  . 

^  Sarah,  daughter  of  the  second  Earl  Spencer  and  widow  of  the  third 
Lord  Lyttelton.  Afterwards  Lady  Superintendent  to  the  Princess 
Royal  and  the  Prince  of  Wales  and  the  other  Princes  and  Princesses. 
A  slu^ewd  observer  and  a  woman  of  fine  judgment  and  high  ideals. 


1837]  PROCESSION   IN   STATE  209 

Wednesday,  12th  July. — Got  up  at  8.  At  J  p.  9 
we  breakfasted.  Did  various  things.  At  ^  p.  10 
came  Stockmar  and  stayed  for  some  time.  At  J 
p.  11  came  Lord  Melbourne  and  stayed  till  J  p.  12. 
He  looked  and  said  he  was  better,  but  not  quite 
well.  Dressed.  At  a  little  before  2  I  went  with 
Mamma  and  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland  (in  my 
carriage),  Charles  and  Mary  and  Lady  Tavistock 
and  Lord  Albemarle  (in  the  next  carriage),  and  Lady 
Mary  Stopford  and  Colonel  Cavendish  in  another. 
I  was  in  full  dress  and  wore  the  Order  of  the  Bath. 
I  went  in  state  with  a  large  escort.  I  was  received 
at  the  door  by  the  Lord  Chamberlain,  the  Lord 
Steward,  &c.,  &c.,  and  was  by  them  conducted  into 
the  Closet,  where  some  people  kissed  hands.  I  then 
went  into  the  Throne  Room,  Lord  Conyngham  hand- 
ing me  in,  and  a  Page  of  Honour  (Master  Ellice) 
bearing  my  train.  I  sat  on  the  Throne.  Mamma 
and  Mary  stood  on  the  steps  of  the  Throne  on  one 
side,  and  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland  and  Lady  Tavis- 
tock stood  near  me  (behind).  I  then  received  the 
two  Addresses  (of  which,  as  also  of  all  the  other 
things,  I  subjoin  an  account),  and  read  Answers  to 
both.  I  then  returned  to  the  Closet  ;  and  went 
into  another  room  to  pat  on  the  Mantle  of  the  Bath  ^ 
(of  crimson  satin  lined  with  white  silk)  ;  I  then  saw 
Lord  Melbourne  in  the  Closet  for  a  few  minutes. 
After  this  I  went  again  into  the  Throne-room,  and 
seated  myself  on  the  Throne.     I  then  conferred  the 

^  There  is  no  record  of  any  previous  Sovereign  wearing  the  robes 
of  the  Bath  on  sucli  an  occasion.  Certainly  they  have  never  been 
worn  since.  A  httle  later  in  her  reign  the  Queen  was  always  reluctant 
to  exchange  the  red  ribbon  of  the  Bath  for  the  blue  ribbon  of  the 
Garter.  By  the  advice  of  Lord  Melbourne,  however,  she  was  in  the 
habit  of  wearing  the  red  ribbon  when  holding  an  investiture  of 
the  Order. 
1—15 


210  DEPUTATIONS   AND   AUDIENCES  [/et.is 

Order  of  the  Bath  (not  sitting  of  course)  upon  Prince 
Esterhazy.  After  this  I  again  went  into  the  Closet. 
Mamma,  Mary,  Charles  and  Lady  Mary  Stopford  then 
went  home ;  it  was  3  o'clock.  I  then  took  off 
my  Mantle.  Received  two  Deputations  from  the 
Sheriffs  &c.,  to  ask  when  I  would  receive  two  more 
Addresses  from  the  City.  My  two  Ladies  attended 
me,  but  after  this  they  went  into  another  room, 
where  they  remained  till  I  went.  I  then  gave  an 
Audience  to  Lord  Lansdowne.  After  this  I  held  a 
Privy  Council.  After  the  Council  I  gave  audiences 
to  the  Earl  of  Yarborough  ^  (who  thanked  me  very 
much  for  having  appointed  his  amiable  daughter. 
Lady  Charlotte  Copley,  one  of  my  Bedchamber 
Women)  ;  to  Lord  Melbourne,  Lord  John  Russell, 
Lord  MtUgrave,  and  Lord  Hill.  I  then  left  the 
Palace,  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland  (who  looked 
lovely,  as  she  always  does),  and  Lady  Tavistock, 
going  with  me  in  my  carriage,  in  the  same  way  as  I 
came,  and  got  home  at  a  J  to  5.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  ISth  July. — Got  up  at  8.  At  J  p.  9 
we  breakfasted.  It  was  the  last  time  that  I  slept  in 
tliis  poor  old  Palace,^  as  I  go  into  Buckingham 
Palace  today.  Though  I  rejoice  to  go  into  B.P.  for 
many   reasons,   it   is   not  without  feelings   of  regret 

^  He  had  just  been  created  Earl  of  Yarborough.  Lady  Charlotte 
was  the  wife  of  Sir  Joseph  Copley.     He  died  in  1846. 

^  The  Queen  always  retained  a  strong  sentiment  for  Kensington 
Palace.  Part  of  the  old  building  had  been  condemned  by  the  Office 
of  Works  to  be  pulled  down,  but  the  Queen  refused  her  sanction. 
During  the  last  year  of  her  reign  the  Queen  made  an  arrangement 
with  Lord  Salisbuiy  and  Sir  M.  Hicks  Beach  that,  in  consideration  of 
Her  Majesty  giving  up  the  use  of  Bushey  House  and  the  Ranger's 
House  at  Greenwich,  the  Government  should  piirchase  and  place  at 
her  disposal  Schomberg  House,  and  should  restore  Kensington  Palace- 
Parliament  voted  £36,000  for  this  purpose,  on  the  understanding  that 
the  State  Rooms  should  be  opened  to  the  public. 


1837]  LEAVING   KENSINGTON  211 

that  I  shall  bid  adieu  for  ever  (that  is  to  say  for  ever 
as  a  dwelling),  to  this  my  birth-place,  where  I  have 
been  born  and  bred,  and  to  which  I  am  really 
attached  !  I  have  seen  my  dear  sister  married  here, 
I  have  seen  many  of  my  dear  relations  here,  I  have 
had  pleasant  balls  and  delicious  concerts  here,  my 
present  rooms  upstairs  are  really  very  pleasant, 
comfortable  and  pretty,  and  enfin  I  like  this  poor 
Palace.  I  have  held  my  first  Council  here  too  !  I 
have  gone  through  painful  and  disagreeable  scenes 
here,  'tis  true,  but  still  I  am  fond  of  the  poor  old 
Palace.  Lord  Melbourne  told  me  yesterday  that 
the  Hon.  Miss  Dillon  '  (to  whom  I  had  offered  it), 
has  accepted  the  situation  of  Maid  of  Honour.  I 
alwavs  saw  Lord  Melbourne  and  also  Stockmar  in 
my  Private  Sitting-room  (the  first  of  the  three),  but 
all  the  other  Ministers  &c.  &c.  I  saw  in  the  further 
room  (the  farthest  of  the  3).  Did  various  things. 
Saw  Stockmar  for  some  time.  The  poor  rooms  look 
so  sad  and  deserted,  everything  being  taken  away. 
Wrote  my  journal.  At  a  little  after  2  I  went  with 
Mamma  and  Lady  Lansdowne  (in  my  carriage), 
Lehzen,  and  Col.  Cavendish  (in  the  next)  to  Bucking- 
ham Palace.  I  am  much  pleased  with  my  rooms.' 
They  are  high,  pleasant  and  cheerful.  Arranged 
things.  At  a  little  after  4  Lady  Lansdowne  brought 
Miss  Pitt '  and  Miss  Spring  Rice  "  (the  two  Maids  of 

1  Louisa,  daughter  of  the  thirteenth  Viscount  Dillon,  afterwards 
wife  of  Sir  Spencer  Ponsonby  Fane. 

2  These  are  the  rooms  now  occupied  by  Queen  Mary.  The 
"audience"  room  opened  out  of  the  sitting-room. 

3  Hon.  Harriet  Elizabeth  Pitt,  younger  daughter  of  the  third 
Lord  Rivers.  She  married  in  1841  Charles  Dashwood  Bruce,  nephew 
of  the  Earl  of  Elgin. 

*  Mary  Alicia  Spring  Rice,  eldest  daughter  of  the  Chancellor  of 
the  Exchequer.  She  afterwards  married  James  Garth  Marshall  of 
Headingley  and  Monk  Coniston. 


212  AT   BUCKINGHAM   PALACE  [^et.is 

Honour  in  AVaiting,  and  who  lodge  here)  to  kiss 
hands.  Miss  Pitt  is  a  very  pretty,  elegant,  nice  girl, 
and  Miss  Spring  Rice  is  a  nice,  clever-looking  girl. 
Saw  Stockmar.  Lady  Lansdowne  afterwards  brought 
Miss  Davys  to  kiss  hands,  wlio  is  a  very  nice  girl 
(though  not  at  all  pretty).  I  then  walked  round  the 
garden  (which  is  large  and  very  pretty)  with  Mamma. 
Dear  Dashy  was  quite  happy  in  it.  .  .  . 


INTRODUCTORY    NOTE    TO    CHAPTER    VII 

The  break  between  the  life  of  Princess  Victoria  and  that  of  the 
young  Queen   was  now  complete.     Changes  came  innumerable 
and  fast.     Her  Household  was  formed,  and  it  reflected  the  com- 
plexion of  Lord  Melbourne's  Ministry,  which  had  been  established 
in  power  after  the  General  Election  by  a  majority  of  thirty-eight. 
The  Queen  left  the  home  of  her  childhood  for  ever.     She  was  the 
first   Sovereign   to   occupy   Buckingham   Palace.     The   building 
had  been  begun  by  George  IV.,  and  although  finished  by  William 
IV.,  had  never  been  prepared  for  occupation.     It  remained  an 
inconvenient  house  until  it  was  added  to  in  after-years  by  Prince 
Albert.     Although  Baron  Stockmar,  the  old  medical  attendant 
of  King  Leopold,  who  had  been  domiciled  in  England  by  command 
of  his  master,  was  reputed  to  be  acting  as  the  Queen's  Private 
Secretary,  that  post  was  in  reality  occupied  by  Lord  Melbourne 
himself.     He  was  both  Private  Secretary  and  Tutor  to  the  young 
Queen  at  this  stage  of  her  career.     Her  political  education  pro- 
ceeded fast,  and  she  learned  with  avidity.     Her  good  sense  and 
composure  were   indeed  remarkable.     It  was  noted  by  all  that 
she  was  considerate  and  thoughtful  to  her  elderly  relatives,  and  to 
the  friends  and  servants  of  her  predecessor.     Her  girlish  charm 
was  attractive  to  those  who  were  privileged  to  be  about  her,  and 
its   influence   over   her   subjects   was   soon   widespread.      When 
within  a  month  of  her  accession  she  appeared  in  the  House  of 
Lords  to  dissolve  Parliament  in  accordance  with  the  Law,  she 
read  her  Speech,  said   Fanny   Kemble,  who   was   present,    with 
splendid    effect.     This   well-qualified    judge   observed   that   the 
Queen's  voice  was  exquisite,  that  her  enunciation  was  as  perfect 
as  the  intonation  was  melodious,  and  that  it  was  impossible  to 
hear  more  excellent  utterance  than  that  of  the  Queen's  English 
by  the  English  Queen. 

It  is  difficult  always  to  remember  that  the  writer  of  these 
Journals  was  at  this  epoch  little  more  than  a  child,  that  she  had 
been  educated  almost  exclusively  by  women,  and  that  she 
had  lived  on  the  whole  a  very  solitary  life,  hampered  by  the  un- 
happy conditions  attached  to  a  girl  who  possesses  no  brothers 
and  sisters,  and  is  in  addition  heir  to  a  Throne.  She  was  now 
suddenly  thrown  almost  entirely  among  men,  grave  and  old,  all 
of  whom  were  engaged  in  administering  the  complicated  affairs 
of  that  Kingdom  of  which  she  was  Queen.  It  is  difficult  to 
imagine  a  greater  contrast.  How  rapidly  the  youthful  Princess 
became  a  woman  under  the  pressure  of  these  extraordinary 
circumstances  becomes  clear  from  her  Journals.  They  indicate 
a  curious  maturity,  through  which,  however,  there  peeps  occa- 
sionally the  face  and  figure  of  a  child. 
1—15*  213 


CHAPTER   VII 

1837 

Friday,  IMh  July. — Got  up  after  8.  At  J  p.  9  I, 
Mamma,  Lehzen,  and  Lady  Flora  breakfasted  up- 
stairs. Wrote,  signed,  &c.  Saw  Sir  F.  Watson,  Col. 
Cavendish,  Sir  H.  Wheatley,  Stockmar.  At  a  little 
after  11  saw  Sir  John  Hobhouse  ^  for  a  little  while. 
He  is  a  very  clever  and  agreeable  man.  I  saw  him 
(where  I  shall  see  all  the  Ministers  &c.)  in  the  small 
room  ^  which  opens  into  my  sitting-room.  Wrote 
my  journal.  Dressed.  At  a  few  minutes  to  2  I 
went  with  Mamma  and  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland 
(in  my  carriage).  Lady  Charlemont  and  Lord  Albe- 
marle (in  the  next  carriage),  and  Charles,  Mary,  and 
Lady  Flora  (in  the  other)  to  St.  James's.  I  was  in 
full  dress  and  wore  the  blue  ribbon  and  star  of 
the  Garter,  and  the  Garter  round  my  arm.     I  was 

^  President  of  the  Board  of  Control.  He  had  enjoyed  the  friend- 
ship of  Byron,  travelled  with  him,  and  was  one  of  his  executors.  He 
was  created  Lord  Broughton  in  1851.  His  Recollections  of  a  Long 
Life,  edited  by  his  daughter,  Lady  Dorchester,  tlirow  much  light  on 
the  political  events  of  his  time.  He  was  so  strong  a  partisan  that  his 
judgments  of  statesmen  and  pohtical  events  have  to  be  treated 
with  reservations  ;  but  he  was  a  type  of  politician,  cultivated,  inde- 
pendent, conscientious,  and  high-minded,  that  is  becoming  rarer  as 
constituencies  become  less  fastidious. 

2  The  Queen  invariably  saw  her  Ministers  in  an  "  audience  "  room 
and  never  in  her  private  sitting-room.  An  exception  was  made  in  the 
case  of  Lord  Melbourne,  the  Prime  Minister. 

214 


1837]  CHAPTER   OF   THE    GARTER  215 

received  in  the  same  way  as  before.  I  went  into 
the  Throne  Room,  sat  on  the  Throne,  and  received 
three  Addresses  in  the  same  way  as  on  Friday.  Two 
of  the  Addresses  were  very  fully  attended  and  the 
room  became  intensely  hot.  I  then  put  on  the 
Mantle  and  Collar  of  the  Garter  (of  dark  blue  velvet 
lined  with  white  silk).  Gave  a  few  minutes  audience 
to  Lord  Melbourne.  I  then  went  into  the  Throne 
Room  (did  not  sit  on  the  Throne),  held  a  Chapter 
of  the  Garter  and  conferred  that  Order  on  Charles. 
Mamma,  Charles  and  Mary  went  away  immediately 
after  this,  but  I  remained  and  gave  a  long  audience 
to  Lord  Melbourne,  who  read  to  me  the  Speech 
which  I  am  to  deliver  when  I  prorogue  Parliament. 
He  reads  so  well  and  with  so  much  good  feeling.  I 
am  sorry  to  see  him  still  looking  ill.  I  then  saw 
the  Duke  of  Devonshire.'  Came  home  with  my  two 
Ladies  at  J  p.  4. 

Saturday,  15th  July. — At  a  few  minutes  p.  2  I 
went  into  one  of  the  large  drawing-rooms  and  held 
a  Cabinet  Council,  at  which  were  present  all  the 
Ministers.  The  Council  lasted  but  a  very  short 
while.  I  then  went  into  my  Closet  and  received 
Lord  Melbourne  there.  He  stayed  with  me  till  20 
minutes  to  4.  He  seemed  and  said  he  was  better. 
He  has  such  an  honest,  frank,  and  yet  gentle  manner. 
He  talks  so  quietly.  I  always  feel  peculiarly  satisfied 
when  I  have  talked  with  him.  I  have  great  confi- 
dence in  him.  Saw  the  Duke  of  Argyll "  and  Lord 
Albemarle.     At  10  minutes  to  4  came  Lord  Palmer- 

^  See  ante,  p.   53. 

2  George  William,  sixth  Duke  of  Argyll,  son  of  Jolin  fifth  Duke, 
and  his  wife,  one  of  the  beautiful  Gunning  sisters,  Elizabeth,  widow 
of  the  sixth  Dvike  of  Hamilton.  This  lady  was  created  Baroness 
Hamilton  in  her  own  right,  and  her  husband  was  also  accorded  a 
barony  of  Great  Britain,  thus  entitling  him  to  a  seat  in  Parliament. 


216  SIGISMUND   THALBERG  [^t.  is 

ston  and  stayed  about  20  minutes.  He  is  a  very 
clever  and  agreeable  man.  I  then  saw  Lord  Glenelg 
for  a  short  while.  Played  and  sang.  Wrote  my 
journal.  At  a  J  to  8  I  dined.  Mamma  being  un- 
well did  not  come  to  dinner.  Besides  the  people  in 
the  House  which  made  with  me  6, — Charles,  Mary, 
the  Duke  of  Sussex,  Princess  Sophia,  the  Duke  of 
Norfolk,  the  Earl  and  Countess  of  Mulgrave,  the 
Earl  and  Countess  of  Durham,  the  Earl  of  Liverpool 
and  the  Ladies  Jenkinson,  the  Lord  and  the  Equerry 
in  Waiting,  and  Lord  John  Churchill '  dined  here. 
I  sat  between  Uncle  Sussex  and  the  Duke  of  Norfolk. 
After  dinner,  at  10  o'clock  came  Thalberg,^  the  most 
famous  pianist  in  the  world  !  He  played  four 
things,  all  by  heart.  They  were  all  Fantasias  by 
him  ;  (1)  on  The  Preghiera  of  Mose,  (2)  on  "  God  save 
the  King"  and  "Rule  Britannia,"  (3)  on  Norma,  (4) 
on  Les  Huguenots.  Never,  never  did  I  hear  anything 
at  all  like  him  !  He  combines  the  most  exquisite, 
delicate  and  touching  feeling  with  the  most  wonderful 
and  powerful  execution  !  He  is  unique  and  I  am 
quite  in  ecstasies  and  raptures  with  him.  I  sat  quite 
near  the  piano  and  it  is  quite  extraordinary  to  watch 
his  hands,  which  are  large,  but  fine  and  graceful. 
He  draws  tones  and  sounds  from  the  piano  which 
no  one  else  can  do.  He  is  unique.  He  is  quite 
young,  about  25,  small,  delicate-looking,  a  very 
pleasing  countenance,  and  extremely  gentlemanlike. 

1  Fourth  son  of  the  fourth  Duke  of  Marlborough  ;  a  Captain,  R.N. 
Died  at  Macao  in  1840. 

2  Sigismund  Thalberg  (1812-71)  was  now  in  the  full  flood  of  suc- 
cess. He  wrote  many  fantasias  on  operatic  themes,  e.g.  on  Robert 
le  Diable,  Zampa,  etc.  In  1845  he  married  a  widow,  the  daughter  of 
Lablache.  As  a  composer  he  never  succeeded  in  emulating  his 
success  as  a  pianist.  Later  in  Ufe  he  abandoned  music,  and  became 
a  professional  vine-grower. 


1837]  IN   THE   HOUSE   OF   LORDS  217 

He  is  modest  to  a  degree  and  very  agreeable  to  talk 
to.     J'etais  en  extase  !   .  .  . 

Monday,  17th  July. — Got  up  at  8.  At  J  p.  9  we 
breakfasted.  Saw  Sir  F.  Watson  and  Col.  Cavendish. 
Saw  Stockmar.  At  J  p.  1  I  went  in  state  to  the 
House  of  Lords,  with  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland 
and  the  Master  of  the  Horse  in  my  carriage,  and 
Lady  Lansdowne  and  Lady  Mulgrave  in  another. 
Had  I  time  I  would  give  a  very  minute  account  of 
the  whole,  but  as  I  have  very  little,  I  will  only  say 
what  I  feel  I  wish  particularly  to  name.  I  went 
first  to  the  Robing-room,  but  as  there  were  so 
many  people  there  I  went  to  a  Dressing-room 
where  I  put  on  the  Robe  which  is  enormously 
heavy.  After  this  I  entered  the  House  of  Lords  pre- 
ceded by  all  the  Officers  of  State  and  Lord  Melbourne 
bearing  the  Sword  of  State  walking  just  before  me. 
He  stood  quite  close  to  me  on  the  left-hand  of  the 
Throne,  and  I  feel  always  a  satisfaction  to  have  him 
near  me  on  such  occasions,  as  he  is  such  an  honest, 
good,  kind-hearted  man  and  is  my  friend,  I  know  it. 
The  Lord  Chancellor  stood  on  my  left.  The  house 
was  very  full  and  I  felt  somewhat  (but  very  little) 
nervous  before  I  read  my  speech,  but  it  did  very 
well,  and  I  was  happy  to  hear  people  were  satisfied. 
I  then  unrobed  in  the  Library  and  came  home  as  I 
went,  at  20  minutes  p.  3.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  19th  July. — Got  up  at  |  p.  8.  At  J 
p.  9  we  breakfasted.  Saw  Sir  F.  Watson,  Col. 
Cavendish,  and  Stockmar.  At  20  minutes  p.  11 
came  Lord  Melbourne  till  a  J  p.  12.  Talked  over 
many  things.  Dressed.  At  a  J  p.  1  I  went  with 
the  Duchess  of  Sutherland  and  Lady  Portman 
in  my  carriage,  to  St.  James's.  I  received  two 
addresses  on  the  Throne  and  read  answers  to  them. 


218  ORDER   OF   ST.   CATHERINE  i^.is 

After  that  Col.  Buckley  '  and  Col.  Wemyss  kissed 
hands  on  being  appointed  Equerries,  as  also  the  Hon. 
William  Cowper  (nephew  to  Lord  Melbourne)  as 
Groom  in  Waiting.  Also  many  others.  I  gave 
audiences  to  various  foreign  Ambassadors,  amongst 
which  were  Count  Orloff,^  sent  by  the  Emperor  of 
Russia  to  compliment  me.  He  presented  me  with 
a  letter  from  the  Empress  of  Russia  accompanied  by 
the  Order  of  St.  Catherine  all  set  in  diamonds.  (I, 
of  course,  as  I  generally  do  every  evening,  wore 
the  Garter.)  The  Levee  began  immediately  after 
this  and  lasted  till  J  p.  4  without  one  minute's  in- 
terruption. I  had  my  hand  kissed  nearly  3000  times ! 
I  then  held  a  Council,  at  which  were  present  almost 
all  the  Ministers.  After  this  I  saw  Lord  Melbourne 
for  a  little  while,  and  then  Lord  Palmerston.  .  .  . 
Wednesday,  2nd  August. —  .  .  .  After  dinner  I  sat 
on  the  sofa  with  the  pretty  amiable  little  Countess 
C.  Pozzo  di  Borgo  and  Lady  Salisbury,'  and  Count 
Pozzo  di  Borgo  and  Prince  Auersperg  ^  sat  near  us. 
Prince  Auersperg  is  a  very  nice,  good-looking  young 
man,  very  quiet,  good-humoured  and  retiring.  Lady 
Seymour  is  certainly  exceedingly  beautiful ;  she  has 
not  the  splendid  eyes  and  fine  expression  of  her 
sister    Mrs.    Norton,    but    altogether    she    is    hand- 

^  Edward  Pery  Buckley,  afterwards  General  and  M.P.    See  p.  327. 

2  Alexis,  Count  Orloff,  famous  both  as  general  and  diplomatist. 
He  had  fought  in  the  war  of  1829  against  Turkey,  and  signed  the 
Treaty  of  Adrianople  in  1829.  He  had  been  sent  to  enlist  English 
sympathies  for  Holland  as  against  Belgium  in  1832.  He  also  was  a 
signatory  of  the  important  treaty  of  Unkiar  Skelessi,  and  represented 
Russia  in  the  Congress  of  Paris  in  1856. 

^  Lady  SaUsbury  was  Frances  Mary,  daughter  and  heir  of  Baraber 
Gascoyne,  grandson  of  Sir  Crisp  GascojTie,  Lord  Mayor  of  London 
1752.     He  was  the  first  Lord  Mayor  who  occupied  the  Mansion  House. 

*  Afterwards  an  intimate  counsellor  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria, 
Hereditary  Great  Chamberlain,  and  President  of  the  Council. 


18371  DUCHESS   OF   SAXE-WEIMAR  219 

somest,  and  there  is  a  sweetness  and  gentleness 
about  her  which  neither  Mrs.  Norton  nor  Mrs. 
Blackwood  have/     Stayed  up  till  J  p.  10.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  9th  August. — Got  up  at  a  little  after 
8  and  breakfasted  at  J  p.  9.  Saw  Sir  Frederic  Wat- 
son and  Col.  Buckley.  Began  a  letter  to  dear  Uncle 
Leopold.  Saw  Stockniar.  Finished  my  letter  to 
Uncle  Leopold  and  wrote  my  journal.  At  7  minutes 
to  12  came  Lord  Melbourne  and  stayed  till  a  J  to  2. 
Talked  over  many  serious  subjects.  I'm  somewhat 
anxious  about  the  Elections  but  I  trust  in  Heaven 
that  we  shall  have  a  Majority  for  us,  and  that  the 
present  Government  may  remain  firm  for  long. 
Lord  Melbourne  spoke  so  candidly,  so  disinterestedly, 
and  so  calmly  about  all  this.  Wrote  my  journal. 
Drew.  At  3  came  the  Queen  Adelaide's  sister,  Ida, 
Duchess  of  Saxe-Weimar,'  with  3  of  her  children. 
Her  2nd  son,  Edward,  14  years  old,  who  was  born 
here  ^  and  consequently  is  my  subject,  and  her  little 
girls,  Anna  and  Amalie,  9  and  7  years  old.  Edward 
is  a  very  nice  boy.  I  stayed  some  time  with  them 
and  then  went  down  and  drew  in  my  room  while 
Mamma  took  them  into  the  garden.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  15th  August. — Got  up  at  ^  p.  8,  and 
breakfasted  in  my  own  room  at  a  J  to  10.  Put  on 
my  habit  and  went  with  dear  Lehzen,  Miss  Caven- 
dish,^ Lord  Albemarle,  Col.  Cavendish,  Col.  Buckley 
and  Stockmar,  to  the  Mews,  which  are  in  the  garden. 
The  Riding-house  is  very  large.  Sir  George  Quen- 
tin   and   Mr.    Fozard    (who   has   a   situation   in   my 

*  See  ante,  p.   192:  note  on  the  Sheridan  sisters. 

2  Wife  of  Duke  Bernard  of  Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach,  younger  brother 
of  Grand  Duke  Charles  Frederick.     See  p.  125. 
8  At  Marlborough  House. 

*  Carohne  Fanny,  daughter  of  Colonel  Cavendish.    Maid-of-honour, 
and  Extra  Woman  of  the  Bedchamber. 


220  TRYING   HORSES  [iEx.is 

Stables)  &c.,  were  there.  I  had  not  ridden  for  2 
years  !  I  first  rode  a  bay  horse,  a  dehglitful  one 
called  Ottoman,  and  cantered  about  a  good  while. 
I  then  tried  for  a  minute  another  horse  which  I  did 
not  like  so  well.  I  then  remomited  Ottoman.  After 
him  I  mounted  a  beautiful  and  very  powerful  but 
delightful  grey  horse,  a  Hanoverian,  called  Fearon. 
Miss  Cavendish  rode  also  the  whole  time  ;  she  rides 
very  nicely.  Came  home  at  20  minutes  to  12. 
Mamma  came  into  the  School  when  I  had  been  riding 
a  little  while.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  IGth  August. — Got  up  at  |  p.  8,  and 
breakfasted  before  10  in  my  own  room.  At  J  p.  10 
I  went  to  the  Riding  House  with  Mamma,  Miss 
Cocks,^  Miss  Cavendish,  dearest  Lehzen,  Col.  Caven- 
dish, and  Col.  Buckley.  I  rode  1st  a  horse  called 
Rosa  (not  my  poor  little  Rosa),  then  Monarch, 
rather  a  nice  horse,  then  Emma,  not  a  bad  horse, 
then  Fearon,  my  favourite,  and  lastly  Emperor,  a 
very  nice  chestnut  horse.  Mamma  and  my  Maids 
of  Honour  also  rode.  Came  home  at  12.  At  7 
minutes  past  1  came  Lord  Melbourne  and  stayed 
till  a  J  to  3.  .  .  . 

Windsor  Castle,  Tuesday,  22nd  August. — Got  up 
at  a  J  to  9  and  breakfasted  at  10.  Saw  Col.  Buckley. 
Wrote  to  the  Grand  Duchess  of  Oldenbourg.^  Arranged 
various  things.  At  20  minutes  to  12  came  my  kind, 
good  friend  Lord  Melbourne  and  stayed  till  J  p.  1.  I 
am  quite  sorry  to  think  I  shall  not  see  him  till  next 
Monday,  when  he  comes  down  to  me  at  Windsor, 


*  Caroline  Margaret,  Maid-of-honour,  eldest  daughter  of  John, 
afterwards  second  Earl  Somers.  She  subsequently  married  Canon 
Coiirtenay,  one  of  the  Queen's  chaplains. 

2  Princess  Cecile  of  Sweden,  third  wife  of  Grand  Duke  Augustus  of 
Oldenbourg. 


1837J  ARRIVAL   AT   WINDSOR  221 

for  I  am  so  fond  of  him,  and  liis  conversations  do  me 
much  good  ;  he  is  such  a  thorougldy  straightforward, 
disinterested,  excellent  and  kindhearted  man.  He 
goes  down  to  Brocket  Hall  tonight  with  his  sister 
Lady  Cowper,  Lady  Fann}^  and  Mr.  Cowper  (my 
Groom),  and  the  younger  brother,  Spencer  Cowper. 
I  hope  the  country  air  and  rest  will  do  him  good. 
Saw  Sir  H.  Wheatley,  and  Stockmar.  Wrote  my 
journal.  Saw  Sir  F.  Wetherall,'  and  Prince  Ernest 
of  Hesse  P.B.''  At  J  p.  2  I  went  with  Mamma,  Lady 
Charlotte  Copley,  and  Lady  Flora  in  my  carriage  ; 
dear  Lehzen,  Miss  Cocks,  Miss  Cavendish,  and  Col. 
Buckley  going  in  the  other,  to  Windsor  Castle,  where 
I  arrived  at  J  p.  5.  I  had  escort  of  Lancers.  All 
along  the  road  the  people  were  very  loyal  and  civil, 
and  my  poor  native  place,  Kensington,  particularly 
so.  When  we  reached  the  Long  Walk  at  Windsor 
a  larger  escort  of  the  1st  Life  Guards  met  me  ;  the 
Walk  was  thronged  with  people,  where  a  dinner  was 
given  to  them  in  lionour  of  my  arrival.  The  peo]:>le 
were  remarkably  friendly  and  civil.  Unfortunately 
it  began  to  rain  before  we  reached  the  Long  Walk. 
Windsor  looked  somewhat  gloomy  and  I  cannot  help 
feeling  as  though  /  was  not  the  Mistress  of  the  House 
and  as  if  I  was  to  see  the  poor  King  and  Queen. 
There  is  sadness  about  the  whole  which  I  must  say 
I  feel.  Lady  Tavistock,  who  is  in  waiting  for  4  weeks,  / 
Lord  Conyngham,  and  the  Lord  Steward  received 
me  at  the  door.  I  inhabit  the  Queen's  rooms,  '^ 
though  not  in  the  same  way  as  she  did.  At  J  p.  7  we  / 
dined.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  26th  August. — Got  up  at  a  J  to  9  and 
at  10  we  breakfasted  with  all  the  Ladies  including 
Lady  Charlemont  and  Lady  Barham.     To-day  is  my 

*  See  ante,  p.  69.  ^  ggg  ante,  p.   145. 


222  KING   OF  WURTEMBURG  [^t.is 

dearest  cousin  Albert's  18th  birthday,  and  I  pray 
Heaven  to  pour  its  choicest  blessings  on  his  beloved 
head  !  Took  leave  of  Lady  Barham  as  both  she 
and  he  go  away.  .  .  . 

Sunday^  21  th  August. —  ...  At  J  p.  2  we  all 
went  into  the  drawing-room  and  received  the  King 
of  Wiirtemburg  '  who  came  to  take  leave.  He  was 
accompanied  by  Count  Mandelsloh,  Baron  Spitzem- 
berg,  and  General  Fleischmann.  He  took  luncheon 
with  us  and  the  whole  party  including  Lord  Glenelg, 
whom  I  asked  to  stay  another  night.  By  some  mis- 
take Lord  Tavistock  did  not  come  to  luncheon.  I 
sat  between  the  King  and  Count  Mandelsloh.  After 
luncheon  I  showed  the  King  the  State  Rooms  &c. 
and  at  4  he  took  leave  and  went  away.  He  leaves 
England  on  Tuesday  and  is  much  pleased  with  what 
he  has  seen.  .  .  . 

Monday,  28th  August. —  ...  I  hope  Lord  Mel- 
bourne will  stay  here  for  some  days.  At  4  I  rode 
oat  with  Mamma,  Lady  Charlotte  Copley,  Lady 
Mary  Stopford  (who  got  into  the  carriage  and 
drove),  Miss  Cavendish,  Miss  Cocks,  Lord  Melbourne, 
Lord  Conyngham,  Lord  Torrington,^  Col.  Cavendish, 
Col.  Buckley,  and  Mr.  Rich.  As  Sir  George  Qu en- 
tin  and  Mr.  Fozard  always  ride  out  with  us,  I  shall 
not  mention  them  any  more.  Lady  Tavistock  and 
Lehzen  followed  in  a  pony  carriage.  I  rode  Duchess, 
a  nice  bay  horse,  but  rather  too  quiet  and  not  near 
so  pleasant  as  Monarch.  Mamma  rode  Barbara. 
Lord  Melbourne  rode  his  own  horse,  a  very  fine  black 
mare  which  came  down  from  London  this  day.  It 
was  a  very  pleasant  ride  and  we  came  home  at  a 
^  p.  6.  .  .  . 

^  King  William  I.,  who  succeeded  his  father,  Frederic,  in  1816. 
2  George,  seventh  Viscount,  a  Lord-in-waiting. 


1837]       KING   AND   QUEEN   OF   THE   BELGIANS  223 

Tuesday,  29th  August. — Got  up  at  J  p.  8  and  at 
4  p.  9  we  breakfasted  with  all  the  ladies.  Wrote  my 
journal.  At  J  p.  11  or  rather  at  a  J  to  12  came  Lord 
Melbourne  and  stayed  till  a  J  to  2.  At  3  I  walked 
over  the  House  with  Mamma  and  most  of  the  ladies, 
and  Lord  Conyngham,  Col.  Buckley,  Col.  Cavendish, 
&c.  The  offices  are  not  good.  We  tlien  walked  a 
little  w^iile  on  the  Terrace.  Played  on  the  piano  or 
rather  more  sang  with  Mamma.  At  7  o'clock  arrived 
my  dearest  most  beloved  Uncle  Leopold  and  my  dearest 
most  beloved  Aunt  Louise.  They  are  both,  and  look 
both,  very  well ;  dearest  Aunt  Louise  is  looking  so 
well  and  is  grown  quite  fat.  I  and  Mamma  as  well 
as  my  whole  court  were  all  at  the  door  to  receive 
them.  It  is  an  inexpressible  happiness  and  joy  to) 
me,  to  have  these  dearest  beloved  relations  with  me 
and  in  my  own  house.  I  took  them  to  their  rooms, 
and  then  hastened  to  dress  for  dinner.  At  8  we 
dined.  .  .  .  Dearest  Aunt  Louise  went  in  first  with 
Lord  Lansdowne,  then  I  with  dear  Uncle,  and 
Mamma  with  M.  Van  de  Wever.  I  sat  between  dear 
Uncle  and  my  good  Lord  Melbourne  ;  two  delightful 
neighbours.  Dear  Aunt  Louise  sat  opposite.  After 
dinner  I  sat  on  the  sofa  with  dearest  Aunt  Louise, 
who  is  really  an  angel,  and  Lord  Melbourne  sat  near 
me.  Uncle  talked  with  Lord  Palmerston.  It  was  a 
most  delightful  evening.  .  .  . 

Friday,  1st  September. —  ...  I  rode  Monarch 
who  went  delightfully,  and  Aunt  Louise  and  Mamma 
the  same  horses  as  the  preceding  day.  The  weather 
looked  lowering  when  we  went  out.  When  we  were 
about  the  middle  of  Queen  Anne's  Walk,  there  came 
a  most  unexpected  and  violent  flash  of  lightning 
which  was  followed  instantaneously  by  a  tremendous 
clap  of  thunder.     My  horse  jumped  a  little,  but  very 


224  KING   LEOPOLD   AND   MELBOURNE  [^et.  is 

little,  but  Aunt  Louise's  being  very  much  alarmed 
by  the  thunder,  ran  away,  full  gallop,  to  our  great 
horror,  and  poor  dear  Aunt  lost  her  hat ;  thank 
God  !  the  horse  stopped  after  100  ^^ards  at  the  foot 
of  a  hill  and  was  led  back.  We  had  meanwhile  got 
into  a  close  carriage  with  the  three  ladies,  and  dear 
Aunt  Louise  who  was  not  the  least  frightened  but 
only  "  quite  ashamed  "  as  she  said,  also  got  in,  and 
we  drove  home  (all  six)  in  a  tremendous  thunder- 
storm and  deluge  of  rain.  We  reached  home  in  perfect 
safety  at  5  o'clock.  .  .  . 

Friday,  8th  September. — Got  up  at  a  J  to  9  and 
at  a  little  before  10  I  breakfasted  with  dearest  Uncle 
Leopold,  dearest  Aunt  Louise,  Mamma  and  the  Duke 
of  Sussex.  Talked  with  Uncle  Leopold  for  some 
time.  How  I  wish  I  had  time  to  take  minutes  of  the 
very  interesting  and  highly  important  conversations 
I  have  with  my  Uncle  and  with  Lord  Melbourne  ; 
the  sound  observations  they  make,  and  the  impartial 
advice  they  give  me  would  make  a  most  interesting- 
book. :  At  11  Lord  Melbourne  came  to  me  and 
stayed  with  me  till  20  minutes  to  1.  He  is  a  most 
excellent,  kindhearted,  honest  and  upright  man,  and 
my  beloved  Uncle  is  delighted  with  him,  which 
makes  me  very  happy,  as  I  am  so  fond  of  Lord 
Melbourne,  and  he  has  been  and  is  such  a  kind  friend 
to  me.  Uncle  and  he  perfectly  agree  in  Politics 
too,  which  are  the  best  there  are.  Lord  Melbourne 
goes  to  town,  I'm  sorry  to  say,  today,  but  will  be 
back  here  tomorrow.  Saw  dearest  Uncle  Leopold. 
Talked  with  him.     Signed.     Wrote  my  journal.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  12th  September. —  .  .  .  After  dinner  I 
sat  part  of  the  evening  on  the  sofa  with  Lady  Tavis- 
tock, dearest  Uncle  Leopold  and  Lord  Melbourne 
sitting    near    me ;     they    talked    very    interestingly 


1837]  A   GAME   OF   CHESS  225 

together.  The  rest  of  the  evening  I  sat  on  the  sofa 
with  dearest  Aunt  Louise,  who  played  a  game  at 
chess  with  me,  to  teach  me,  and  Lord  Melbourne  sat 
near  me.  Lord  Tavistock,  Lord  Palmerston,  Mrs. 
Cavendish,  Sir  J.  Hobhouse  and  Mnie.  de  Merode,  ^ 
sat  round  the  table.  Lord  ]\Ielbourne,  Lord  Palmer- 
ston, Sir  J.  Hobhouse,  and  later  too  Lord  Conyng- 
ham,  all  gave  me  advice,  and  all  different  advice, 
about  my  playing  at  chess,  and  all  got  so  eager  that 
it  was  very  amusing  ;  in  particular  Lord  Palmerston 
and  Sir  J.  Hobhouse,^  who  differed  totally  and  got 
quite  excited  and  serious  about  it.  Between  them 
all,  I  got  quite  beat,  and  Aunt  Louise  triumphed 
over  my  Council  of  Ministers  !   .  .  . 

Monday,  18th  September. —  .  .  .  After  dinner  I 
sat  on  the  sofa  part  of  the  evening  with  Lady  Tavis- 
tock, Lord  MelboLirne  sitting  near  me,  and  the  rest 
with  my  dearest  Aunt  Louise,  with  whom  I  played 
a  game  at  chess,  and  heat  her  ;  Lord  Palmerston, 
Lord  Melbourne,  and  Lord  Conyngham  sat  near 
me  advising  me.  At  11,  our  last  happy  evening 
broke  up,  and  Aunt  Louise  took  leave  in  the  kindest 
way  imaginable  of  the  whole  party  except  my 
gentlemen  ;  and  good  Lord  Melbourne  was  touched 
to  tears  by  this  leave-taking.  I  cannot  say  how 
I  shall  miss  my  dearest  Aunt  Louise;  she  com- 
bines with  great  cleverness  and  learning,  so  much 
merriment,  and  has  all  the  liveliness  and  fun 
of  a  girl  of  16,  with  all  the  sense  and  deep  thought 
of  one  of  30  and  much   older  even.      And  I  think 

1  Wife  of  M.  de  Merode,  who  was  Fii'st  Minister  in  Belgium  and  a 
faithful  friend  to  King  Leopold. 

2  Lord  Broughton  (Sir  John  Hobhouse),  in  his  Reminiscences,  refers 
to  this  game  of  chess,  and  to  the  slight  confusion  there  was  between 
"  the  two  Queens  on  the  board  and  the  two  Queens  at  the  table." 

1—16 


226  WINDSOR   UNIFORM  [/et.  i8 

she  is  so  lovely,  so  graceful,  she  has  such  an  angelic 
expression  in  lier  clear  eyes  ;  and  she  dresses  so  well, 
morning  and  evening.  And  then  my  beloved  Uncle 
whom  I  look  up  to  and  love  as  a  father,  how  I  shall  miss 
his  protection  out  riding,  and  his  conversation  !  .  .  . 
Thursday,  28th  September. — Got  up  at  J  p.  8  and 
breakfasted  with  Mamma  at  a  J  to  10.  Wrote  to 
the  Duchess  of  Gloucester.  Saw  Sir  Jeffrey  Wyatt- 
ville.'  Wrote  to  the  Queen  and  my  journal.  At 
12  Lord  Melbourne  came  to  me  and  stayed  with  me 
till  10  m.  p.  1.  Dressed,  in  a  habit  of  dark  blue  with 
red  collar  and  cuffs  (the  Windsor  Uniform  which  all 
my  gentlemen  wear),  a  military  cap,  and  my  Order 
of  the  Garter,  as  I  was  going  to  review  the  Troops. 
At  2  I  mounted  Leopold,  who  was  very  handsomely 
harnessed  ;  all  the  gentlemen  were  in  uniform,  that 
is  to  say  Lord  Hill,  Lord  Alfred  Paget '  (who  looked 
remarkably  handsome  in  his  uniform  of  the  Blues), 
Prince  Lichtenstein,'  Baron  Reisehach,  &c.,  and  my 
other  gentlemen  wore  the  Windsor  uniform  with 
cocked  hats.  Mamma  and  Miss  Cavendish  rode,  as 
did  also   my   pretty   little  page,  George  Cavendish, 

^  Sir  Jeffrey  Wyatt  (1766-1840),  the  architect,  whose  most 
important  work  was  the  transformation  of  Windsor  Castle,  including 
the  addition  of  thirty  feet  to  the  height  of  the  Rovind  Tower.  The 
principal  feature  of  this  work  is  the  soUd  and  "  fortress-like  "  appear- 
ance, which  is  conspicuous  in  the  Castle.  His  name  had  been  origin- 
ally Wyatt,  but  George  IV.,  after  laying  the  foundation-stone  of  the 
new  work,  sanctioned  the  curious  addition  of  "  ville  "  to  the  surname. 
Although  he  was  an  architect  of  considerable  technical  skill,  his  powers 
of  destructiveness  were  quite  remarkable.  He  hardly  left  a  stone 
of  Windsor  Castle  unturned. 

2  Equerry  to  the  Queen,  son  of  tlie  first  Marquess  of  Anglesey  by  his 
second  marriage  with  Lady  Charlotte  Cadogan.  Sometime  M.P.  for 
Lichfield  and  Clerk-Marshal  of  the  Royal  Household.  Lord  Broughton 
described  him  as  "  a  handsome  Calmuck-looking  young  fellow." 

^  Prince  Aloysius  Joseph  de  Lichtenstein  succeeded  his  father, 
Jean  Joseph,  in  1836. 


1837]  A   REVIEW   AT   WINDSOR  227 

who  looked  so  pretty  in  his  uniform,  mounted  on  a 
little  pony  all  harnessed  like  a  large  horse.  Lord 
Palmerston  also  rode.  All  the  other  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  including  Lord  Melbourne,  drove  in 
carriages  after  us.  The  Lancers  escorted  us.  When 
we  came  upon  the  ground,  which  is  in  the  Home 
Park,  I  rode  up  with  the  whole  party  to  where  a 
Sergeant  was  stationed  with  the  colours,  and  there 
stopped,  and  the  regiments  saluted  me.  I  saluted 
them  by  putting  my  hand  to  my  cap  like  the  officers 
do,  and  was  much  admired  for  my  manner  of  doing 
so.  I  then  cantered  up  to  the  Lines  with  all  the 
gentlemen  and  rode  along  them.  Leopold  behaved 
most  beautifully,  so  quietly,  the  Bands  really  play- 
ing in  his  face.  I  then  cantered  back  to  my  first 
position  and  there  remained  while  the  Troops 
marched  by  in  slow  and  quick  time,  and  when  they 
manoeuvred,  which  they  did  beautifully.  1  lie  Troops 
consisted  of  the  1st  Regiment  of  Life  Guards  who 
are  beautiful,  of  the  Grenadier  Guards,  and  of  some 
of  the  Lancers.  They  fired  and  skirmished  a  good 
deal,  and  near  us,  and  Leopold  never  moved.  The 
whole  went  off  beautifully  ;  and  I  felt  for  the  first 
time  like  a  man,  as  if  I  could  fight  myself  at  the 
head  of  my  Troops.  We  rode  back  to  the  Castle  at 
J  p.  4,  and  I  mounted  Barbara  and  rode  out  with 
Mamma,  Prince  Lichtenstein,  Lord  Melbourne,  Lord 
Palmerston,  Baron  Reisehach,  Lord  Torrington,  Lord 
Alfred  Paget,  Miss  Cavendish,  Lady  Mary,  Mr. 
Murray  and  Miss  Murray,  and  came  home  at  7  m. 
to  6.     Lord  Melbourne  rode  near  me.  ) 

Friday,  29th  September. — Got  up  at  a  J  to  9  and 
breakfasted  at  10  with  Mamma.  Wrote  to  dear 
Ferdinand  and  to  the  good  Queen  of  Portugal  while 
my    hair    was    doing    before    breakfast.     Wrote    to 


228  QUEEN   ADELAIDE   AT   WINDSOR  [;et.  18 

dearest  Aunt  Louise  and  my  journal.  At  12  Lord 
Melbourne  came  to  me  and  stayed  with  me  till  J  p.  1. 
He  read  to  me  a  Paper  about  the  Civil  List,  and 
explained  it  to  me,  and  so  clearly  and  well  he  ex- 
plained it  ;  he  reads  very  well  too,  so  distinctly  and 
with  so  much  good  emphasis.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  30th  September. — Got  up  at  a  J  to  9 
and  breakfasted  at  10  with  Mamma.  Saw  Lord 
Albemarle.  Wrote  my  journal.  At  a  J  p.  11  Lord 
Melbourne  came  to  me  and  stayed  with  me  till  a  J 
to  12.  At  a  J  to  12  came  the  Queen  with  her  sister 
the  Duchess  of  Saxe-Weimar  and  staved  with  me 
till  1  o'clock.  The  poor  Queen  was  very  much 
composed,  though  it  must  have  been  a  very  painful 
and  severe  trial  for  her,  considering  she  had  not  been 
here  since  she  left  the  Castle,  the  night  after  the  poor 
King's  funeral.  I  showed  her  all  my  rooms  with  which 
she  was  much  pleased  ;  and  she  went  by  herself  to 
see  the  room  where  the  King  died.  I  sang  a  little 
and  Mamma  also,  while  they  were  there.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  Srd  October. — Got  up  at  a  J  to  9  and  at 
a  J  p.  10  I  breakfasted  with  Mamma.  Wrote  to 
dearest  Uncle  Leopold  and  my  journal.  Saw  Sir 
H.  Wheatley.  At  J  p.  12  Lord  Melbourne  came  to 
me  and  stayed  with  me  till  5  m.  to  2.  He  read  to 
me  some  Despatches  from  Canada  which  are  not  very 
satisfactory.  Saw  Princess  Augusta.  At  |  p.  3  I 
rode  out  with  Mamma,  Lord  Melbourne,  Lord  Palmer- 
ston.  Lady  Mary,  Lord  Torrington,  Mr.  Murray,  Mr. 
Brand,  Col.,  Mrs.  and  Miss  Cavendish,  and  Miss 
Murray,  and  came  home  at  6.  We  rode  all  round 
Virginia  Water,  a  beautiful  ride,  and  cantered  almost 
the  whole  wav  home.  It  was  the  hottest  summer 
evening  that  can  be  imagined,  not  a  breath  of  air, 
and  hotter  coming  home  than  going  out.     Alas  !    it 


1837]  PRAISE   OF   LORD   MELBOURNE  229 

was  our  last  ride  here  !  I  am  very  sorry  indeed  to 
go  !  I  passed  such  a  very  pleasant  time  here  ;  the 
pleasantest  summer  I  ever  passed  in  my  life,  and 
I  shall  never  forget  this  first  summer  of  my  Reign. 
I  have  had  the  great  happiness  of  having  my  beloved 
Uncle  and  Aunt  here  with  me,  I  have  had  very 
pleasant  people  and  kind  friends  staying  with  me, 
and  I  have  had  delicious  rides  which  have  done  me  a 
world  of  good.  Lord  Melbourne  rode  near  me  the 
whole  time.  The  more  I  see  of  him  and  the  more 
I  know  of  him,  the  more  I  like  and  appreciate  his 
fine  and  honest  character.  I  have  seen  a  great  deal 
of  him,  every  day,  these  last  5  weeks,  and  I  have 
always  found  him  in  good  humour,  kind,  good,  and 
most  agreeable  ;  I  have  seen  him  in  my  Closet  for 
Political  Affairs,  I  have  ridden  out  with  him  (every 
day),  I  have  sat  near  him  constantly  at  and  after 
dinner,  and  talked  about  all  sorts  of  things,  and 
have  always  found  him  a  kind  and  most  excellent 
and  very  agreeable  man.  I  am  very  fond  of  him.j 
Wrote  my  journal.  .  .  . 

Brighton,  Wednesday,  4>th  October. —  ...  I 
constantly  regret  I  cannot  write  down  many  of  the 
pleasant  and  instructive  conversations  I  have  with 
clever  people,  such  as  Lord  Melbourne,  Lord  Palmer- 
ston.  Lord  Holland,  &c.,  &c.  And  many  of  the 
Foreign  Despatches  which  I  read,  in  particular  some 
of  the  Private  letters  of  the  Ambassadors  and  Minis- 
ters to  Lord  Palmerston,  are  so  interesting  and  well 
written  that  I  wish  I  could  note  them  down.  I  read 
one  of  Mr.  Villiers'  '  from  Madrid  to-day,  which  is 
remarkably  well  written.  .  .  . 

1  George  Villiers  (1800-70),  British  Plenipotentiary  at  Madrid.     In 
1838  he  became  fourth  Earl  of  Clarendon,  was  Lord  Lieutenant  of 
Ireland  in  critical  times,  1847-52,  and  afterwards,  with  great  distinc- 
1—16* 


230  PICTURE   OF  THE   FIRST   COUNCIL  [/et.is 

Tuesday,  24/A  October. — Got  up  at  25  m.  p.  8  and 
breakfasted  at  a  J  to  10  with  Mamma,  having  signed 
&c.  before  breakfast.  Wrote  my  journal  &c.  At 
3  m.  to  11  Lord  Melbourne  came  to  me  and  stayed 
with  me  till  J  p.  12.  Talked  over  many  things 
and  gave  him  a  letter  I  had  received  this  morn- 
ing from  Uncle  Leopold,  to  read  ;  he  took  it  with 
him.  Sat  to  Sir  David  Wilkie.  Before  I  left  the 
painting  room,  I  sent  for  Lord  Melbourne  to  see 
the  Picture,  with  which  he  was  much  pleased.  It 
is  to  be  my  First  Council,^  and  a  great  many 
Portraits  will  be  introduced  into  the  picture  ;  Lord 
Melbourne  will  be  painted  standing  near  me.  Wrote 
my  journal.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  29th  October. —  ...  At  a  little  after  3  I 
tried  to  drive  out  with  Lady  Mulgrave,  Lady  Gardiner 
and  Miss  Paget  ^  following,  but  we  were  obliged  to 
come  home  again  almost  directly  as  it  rained  the 
whole  time.  It  is  really  most  provoking  weather. 
Finished  my  letter  to  Feodore,  and  wrote  one  to 
my  Cousin  Marie.'  Saw  Stockmar  for  one  instant. 
At  7  we  dined.  .  .  . 

tion,  Secretary  of  State  for  Foreign  Affairs  in  1853,  again  in  1865  and 
in  1868.  He  was  not  a  statesman  of  very  original  mind,  or  of  great 
initiative,  but  he  was  honest  and  prudent  and  highly  regardful  of  his 
covmtry's  interests.  His  manners  were  delightful  and  his  conversation 
varied  with  anecdotes  and  punctuated  by  wit.  He  was  one  of  the 
principal  attractions  in  London  society  during  tlie  first  half  of  the 
nineteenth  century. 

*  This  picture  hangs  in  the  Corridor  at  Windsor  Castle.  The  like- 
nesses are  excellent,  but  the  artist  has  painted  the  Queen  in  a  white 
dress,  whereas  she  wore  black.  The  actual  dress  worn  by  the  Queen 
is  now  exhibited  in  the  London  Museum  at  Kensington. 

2  Matilda  Susannah,  daughter  of  Hon.  Berkeley  Paget,  fifth  son 
of  the  first  Earl  of  Uxbridge.  She  was  a  Maid  of  Honour  to  the 
Queen,  and  died  in  1871. 

'  Princess  Marie  of  Orleans,  daughter  of  King  Louis  Philippe.  See 
ante,  p.  78. 


1837]  PORTUGUESE   TROUBLES  231 

Wednesday,  1st  November. — Got  up  at  a  J  to  9 
and  breakfasted  at  10  with  Mamma.  Received  before 
breakfast  a  letter  from  Ferdinand  and  one  from  Mary 
with  a  very  pretty  little  ring  in  it.  At  J  p.  10  my 
excellent,  kind  friend  Lord  Melbourne  came  to  me 
and  stayed  with  me  till  12.  Talked  over  many 
things  ;  and  talked  over  some  disagreeable  business 
about  which  Lord  Melbourne  is  very  kind  (as  he  is 
about  everything,  for  he  is  the  best-hearted,  kindest 
and  most  feeling  man  in  the  world)  and  very  anxious. 
Showed  him  dear  Ferdinand's  letter.  Poor  Ferdi- 
nand's position  and  the  unfortunate  state  of  Portu- 
guese affairs  distress  him  much  ;  he  takes  every- 
thing so  mucli  to  heart,  which  is  generally  not  the 
case  with  a  Statesman.  I  observed  to  Lord  Mel- 
bourne that  there  were  not  many  very  good  preachers 
to  be  found  ;  he  replied  in  the  affirmative  and 
added,  "  But  there  are  not  many  very  good  anything,''^ 
which  is  very  true.  ...  I  then  took  leave  of  him, 
told  him  I  was  very  sorry  he  went,  to  which  he 
replied  he  was  also  very  sorry.  I  shall  see  him  again 
however  on  Saturday  when  I  go  to  town.  I  am 
very  sorry  to  lose  his  agreeable  company  (as  I  always 
like  to  have  those  who  are  kind  to  me,  and  my 
friends,  with  me)  these  last  d&ys  here.  And  I  am 
very  sorry  to  think  that  the  summer  and  autvmin 
(the  pleasantest  /  ever  passed)  are  over !  How 
time  flies  when  pleasantly  spent  !  !  Lord  Melbourne 
also  was  much  better  for  this  quiet  life  and  liked 
it  too.  He  is  a  great  friend  of  Lehzen's  which 
makes  me  more  fond  of  him  still.  I  always  saw 
Lord  Melbourne  in  my  little  sitting-room  ;  I  being 
seated  on  a  sofa,  and  he  in  an  armchair  near 
or  close  opposite  me ;  the  other  ministers  and 
visitors  I  saw  in  another  little  room  just  the  same 


282  BACK   TO   LONDON  [/et.is 

size  as  this  one,  where  Lehzen  always  sits  ;  it  is 
close  to  the  other,  one  little  room  only  being  between 
the  two.  .  .  . 

Buckingham  Palace,  Saturday,  Uh  November. 
— Got  up  at  J  p.  7.  Wrote  my  journal  while  my 
hair  was  doing.  Received  a  few  lines  from  Lord 
Melbourne.  At  9  I  breakfasted  with  Mama.  Saw 
Stockmar.  At  10  minutes  to  10  I  left  Brighton  with 
Mama  and  Lady  Mulgrave  ;  Miss  Dillon,  Lady  Mary 
Stopford,  dearest  Lehzen  and  Col.  Cavendish  follow- 
ing in  another  carriage.  Lady  Gardiner  went  in  her 
own  carriage.  I  took  leave  of  Miss  Paget  before  I 
went ;  both  her  and  Miss  Dillon's  waitings  were  out 
on  Thursday,  but  I  did  not  wish  to  give  the  other 
Maids  of  Honour  the  trouble  of  coming  down  only 
for  two  days  and  then  going  back  again.  Miss  Paget 
is  a  very  good,  quiet,  nice,  unaffected  girl.  We 
changed  horses  first  at  Hickstead,  2ndly  at  Crawley, 
3rdly  at  Redhill,  and  lastly  at  Croydon,  and  reached 
Buckingham  Palace  at  3.  It  is  a  journey  of  52 
miles.  ...  I  have  changed  my  rooms,  that  is  to  say, 
I  sit  in  my  dressing-room,  and  make  it  both  my 
sitting  and  dressing-room,  which  is  much  more  com- 
fortable and  cheerful  than  the  other  rooms  on  the 
other  side  ;  and  I  shall  see  all  mv  Ministers  &c.  in 
the  former  breakfast  room,^  next  my  dressing-room, 
which  is  now  very  prettily  furnished  and  looks  very 
nice  and  cheerful.  Lehzen's  little  sitting-room  is 
next  this  room.  At  a  few  m.  p.  4  came  my  good 
Lord  Melbourne,  whom  I  was  happy  to  see  well  and 
in  good  spirits,  though  a  little  tired  with  the  deal 

1  These  rooms,  partly  remodelled  and  redecorated,  are  now  occupied 
by  Queen  Mary.  Up  to  the  death  of  Queen  Victoria  no  material 
change  was  made  in  them.  In  1901  they  were  much  altered,  althovigh 
the  main  features  remain  aa  before. 


1837]  LORD   MAYOR'S   DINNER  233 

he  has  to  do  ;  he  stayed  with  me  till  10  m.  p.  5,  and 
we  talked  over  various  important  things.  I,  of 
course,  saw  him  in  the  new  Ministerial  Room.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  9th  November. — Got  up  at  J  p.  9  and 
breakfasted  by  myself  in  my  room  at  |  p.  10. 
Played  on  the  piano  and  sang.  Wrote  my  journal. 
Dressed  for  the  Lord  Mayor's  dinner,  in  all  my  finery. 
At  2  I  went  in  the  state  carriage  and  8  horses  with 
the  Duchess  of  Sutherland  and  Lord  Albemarle  ;  all 
my  suite,  the  Royal  Family,  &c.,  went  before  me.  I 
reached  the  Guildhall  at  a  little  before  4.  Throughout 
my  progress  to  the  city,  I  met  with  the  most  gratify- 
ing, affectionate,  hearty  and  brilliant  reception  from 
the  greatest  concourse  of  people  I  ever  witnessed  ; 
the  streets  being  immensely  crowded  as  were  also  the 
windows,  houses,  churches,  balconies,  every  where. 
I  was  then  conducted  by  the  Lord  Chamberlain,  the 
Lord  Mayor  and  Lady  Mayoress  preceding  me,  and  my 
whole  suite  following  me, — to  a  private  drawing-room, 
where  I  found  Mamma,  the  Duchess  of  Gloucester, 
the  Duchess  of  Cambridge,  and  Augusta,  and  all 
their  Ladies.  All  my  Ladies  came  in  there.  After 
waiting  some  little  time,  I  sent  for  Lord  Melbourne 
and  Lord  John  Russell,  to  ask  them  some  questions, 
and  they  came  in  for  a  minute  or  two,  and  then  went 
away.  After  waiting  a  little  longer,  I  was  conducted 
by  Lord  Conyngham  in  the  same  way  as  before,  the 
Royal  Family  and  my  Ladies  &c.  following,  to  the 
Council  Room,  where  were  the  Dukes  of  Sussex  and 
Cambridge  and  George, — all  my  Ministers,  all  the 
Foreign  Ambassadors  and  Ministers  &c.,  &c.,  the 
Lord  Mayor,  all  the  Aldermen,  tlie  Lady  Mayoress 
and  all  the  Aldermen's  wives.  I  was  seated  in 
a  large  arm-chair,  all  the  others  standing.  The 
Recorder  then  read  an  Address,  to  which  I  read  an 


234  LORD   MAYOR'S   DINNER  [jet.is 

answer  ;  when  the  Lord  Mayor  was  presented  I  said 
to  Lord  John  Russell  (what  I  had  previously  been 
told  to  do),  "  I  desire  you  to  take  proper  measures 
for  conferring  the  dignity  of  Baronet  on  the  Lord 
Mayor."  I  then  knighted  the  Sheriffs,  one  of  whom 
was  Mr.  Montefiore,  a  Jew,  an  excellent  man  '  ;  and 
I  was  very  glad  that  I  was  the  first  to  do  what  / 
think  quite  right,  as  it  should  be.  The  Lady  Mayoress 
and  all  the  Aldermen's  wives  were  then  presented. 
After  this  we  returned,  as  before,  to  the  Private 
Drawing  room  and  remained  there  till  a  J  p.  5  when 
we  went  to  dinner.  ...  I  drank  a  glass  of  wine  with 
the  Lord  Mayor  (John  Cowan)  and  the  late  Lord 
Mayor.  The  Lord  Mayor  is  a  quiet  little  old  man  of 
70  (they  say).  When  my  health  was  given  out, 
there  was  great  cheering  and  applause.  I  left  dinner 
in  the  same  way  I  came  in  at  about  J  p.  7 ;  and  we 
went  as  before  into  the  Private  Drawing  room  and 
waited  there  till  the  carriages  were  ready.  All  the 
Royal  Family  went  away  before  me.  I  went  at 
J  p.  8  in  a  usual  carriage  (not  a  state  carriage)  with 
the  Duchess  of  Sutherland  and  Lord  Albemarle  as 
before.  We  came  back  just  in  the  same  way  as  we 
went,  only  that  each  carriage  had  only  a  pair  of 
horses,  and  there  were  no  people  on  foot  walking  by 
the  carriage.  The  crowd  was,  if  possible,  greater 
than  it  had  been  when  I  went  in  the  day  ;  and  they 
cheered  me  excessive^  as  I  came  along.     The  streets 

1  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  (1784-1885).  created  a  baronet  in  1846.  His 
life,  prolonged  for  over  a  hundred  years,  was  one  of  flawless  generosity 
and  personal  kindness  to  the  poor  and  afflicted  of  his  own  race, 
especially  in  the  eastern  provinces  of  Russia  and  in  Turkey.  He 
obtained  consideration  for  poor  Jews  from  the  Russian  and  Turkish 
Governments,  and  his  seven  pilgrimages  to  Jerusalem  were  all  under- 
taken with  a  view  to  improving  the  questionable  lot  of  the  Chosen 
People. 


1837]  A   GOOD   RECEPTION  235 

were  beautifully  illuminated  on  all  sides,  and  looked 
very  brilliant  and  gay.  I  got  home  by  20  m.  to  10, 
and  quite  safely  ;  I  trust  there  have  been  no  acci- 
dents. I  cannot  say  how  gratified,  and  how  touched 
I  am  by  the  very  brilliant,  affectionate,  cordial, 
enthusiastic  and  unanimous  reception  I  met  with  in 
this  the  greatest  Metropolis  in  the  World  ;  there  was 
not  a  discontented  look,  not  a  sign  of  displeasure — 
all  loyalty,  affection  and  loud  greeting  from  the  im- 
mense multitude  I  passed  through  ;  and  no  disorder 
whatever.  I  feel  deeply  grateful  for  this  display  of 
affection  and  unfeigned  loyalty  and  attachment  from 
my  good  people.  It  is  much  more  than  I  deserve, 
and  I  shall  do  my  utmost  to  render  myself  worthy 
of  all  this  love  and  affection.  I  had  a  very  bad 
headache  in  the  morning,  but  it  went  off  during  all 
the  ceremonies  ;  it  was  somewhat  bad  when  I  came 
home,  but  I  went  to  bed  immediately  after  I  had 
signed  a  few  papers.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  12th  November. —  .  .  .  Saw  Stockmar. 
Walked.  Signed.  Wrote  my  journal.  Read  Des- 
patches. At  a  little  after  7  we  dined.  Our  whole 
party  made  only  12  in  number,  which  were,  us  10 
(for  Miss  Davys  and  Col.  Cavendish  had  gone  home 
and  Lady  Mary  was  ill).  Lord  Melbourne  and  Mr. 
Cowper.  Lord  Melbourne  led  me  in  and  I  sat  be- 
tween him  and  Mr.  Cowper.  I  was  happy  to  see  ~ 
Lord  Melbourne  in  very  good  spirits  ;  he  was  very 
amusing  about  Theatricals  and  has  peculiar  tastes  of 
his  own  about  actors.  He  has  such  an  honest,  blunt, 
and  amusing  manner  of  coming  out  with  his  remarks  j 
and  observations.  After  dinner  I  sat  on  the  sofa 
with  Mamma,  and  Lord  Melbourne  sat  near  me  the 
whole  evening.  Mr.  Cowper  (who,  as  usual,  was 
very  annising),  and  Lady  Mulgrave  sat  near  the  table. 


236  THE   QUEEN'S   SPEECH  [iET.is 

Lord  Melbourne  does  not,  I  think,  look  quite  as  well 
as  he  used  to  do  when  at  Windsor  and  Brighton  ;  he 
looks  paler  and  tired  often  ;  and  he  says  he  feels  the 
want  of  exercise.  I  fear  since  I  have  come  to  the 
throne  he  has  still  more  to  do  than  he  had  before  ; 
but  he  is  always  ready  to  assist  me  in  every  way,  and 
will  not  admit  that  I  trouble  him.  Stayed  up  till 
11.     It  was  a  very  pleasant  evening. 

Monday,  13th  November. —  ...  I  do  not  men- 
tion when  I  get  communications  from  Lord  Melbourne 
and  when  I  write  to  him,  for  that  occurs  every  day 
and  generally  2  or  3  times  a  day,  so  that  it  would 
take  up  too  much  time  ;  I  also  receive  communica- 
tions from  all  the  other  Ministers  ;  the  one  with 
whom  I  communicate  ojtenest  after  Lord  Melbourne 
is  Lord  Palmerston.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  16th  November. —  ...  At  a  J  p.  2 
Lord  Melbourne  came  to  me  and  stayed  with  me  till 
12  m.  p.  3.  He  read  me  the  Speech  again,  as  it  is 
settled  to  be  now  ;  and  became  touclied  to  tears  in 
reading  the  concluding  part  which  alludes  to  my 
youth  and  reliance  on  the  Loyalty  of  my  People — 
kind,  excellent,  good  man.  Talked  over  various 
things.  .  .  . 

Friday,  17th  November. —  .  .  .  After  dinner  I 
went  at  J  p.  6  with  all  the  dinner  party,  except 
Lehzen  (who  again  went  with  Mr.  Rich  to  the  play 
in  a  box  opposite),  Miss  Davys  (who  did  not  go), 
and  Lord  Alfred  Paget  (who  was  on  the  escort  and 
rode  by  the  carriage),  to  the  play  to  Covent  Garden, 
the  Duchess  of  Sutherland  and  Lord  Albemarle  going 
with  me  in  the  carriage.  I  met  with  the  same 
brilliant  reception,  the  house  being  so  full  that  there 
was  a  great  piece  of  work  for  want  of  room,  and 
many  people  had  to  be  pulled  out  of  the  Pit  by  their 


1837]  THE   HOUSE   OF   LORDS  237 

wrists  and  arms  into  the  Dress  Circle.  I  never  saw 
such  an  exhibition  ;  it  was  the  oddest  thing  I  ever 
saw.  My  Ladies  took  it  by  turns,  (their  standing 
behind  me,  I  mean).  Mamma  sat  near  me,  and 
Lady  Mary  stood  behind  her.  The  performances 
were  the  fine  but  dreadful  tragedy  of  Werner  by 
Lord  Byron,  and  the  1st  act  of  Fra  Diavolo.  .  .  . 

Monday,  20th  November. — Got  up  at  a  J  to  9  and 
breakfasted  by  myself  at  a  J  p.  10.  Played  on  the 
piano.  Saw  Mr.  Spring  Rice.  Dressed  for  going  to 
the  House  of  Lords,  exactly  in  the  same  costume  as 
last  Julv.  When  I  was  dressed  I  saw  the  Duchess 
of  Gloucester,  the  Duchess  of  Cambridge,  and 
Augusta^  and  little  Mary.^  At  J  p.  1  I  went  in  the 
State  Carriage  with  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland  and 
Lord  Albemarle  ;  Lady  Lansdowne,  Lady  Barham, 
and  all  my  gentlemen  (except  Lord  Conyngham  who 
went  as  a  Peer  and  not  in  my  suite),  and  3  Pages, 
going  in  6  other  carriages,  to  the  House  of  Lords  to 
open  Parliament.  I  arrived  there  at  2,  and  was 
conducted  to  the  Library — all  the  Great  Officers  of 
State,  the  Lord  Chancellor,  the  Lord  President, 
the  Lord  Privy  Seal,  preceding  me — Lord  Mel- 
bourne walking  quite  close  before  me  bearing  the 
sword  of  state.  I  robed  in  the  Library,  all  the 
above-mentioned  people,  my  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
being  there,  and  then  proceeded  into  the  House  of 
Lords — the  manner  of  going  in  being  the  same  as 
before — and  seated  myself  on  the  Throne  ;  Lord 
Melbourne  standing  quite  close  to  me  on  my  left ; 
I  feel  a  satisfaction  in  having  this  excellent  man  near 
me  on  such  important  public  occasions.  I  read  the 
Declaration  about  Transubstantiation,  or  rather  re- 

^  Princess  Augusta  of  Cambridge.     See  Vol.  11.,  p.  150. 
2  Princess  Mary,  afterwards  Duchess  of  Teck. 


238  THE   ADDRESS   IN   THE   LORDS  [^t.  is 

peated  it  after  the  Chancellor — the  Commons  having 
been  summoned  to  the  Bar.  After  this  I  read  the 
Speech  (which  I  think  an  excellent  one)  and  which 
people  were  pleased  to  say  I  read  well.  The  House 
was  very  full.  I  then  returned  to  the  Library  and 
unrobed.  Good,  kind  Melbourne  was  quite  touched 
to  tears  after  I  read  the  Speech.  I  could  only  say 
a  very  few  words  to  him.  I  came  home,  as  I 
went,  at  a  J  p.  3.  Lehzen  was  at  the  House, 
which  I  am  very  glad  of,  and  she  was  pleased 
with  my  manner.  .  .  .  The  Duke  of  Sussex  was 
the  mover  of  the  Address  in  the  House  of 
Lords,  and  made  a  very  able  and  judicious  speech, 
Lord  Melbourne  wrote  me  word.  I  got  Lord  Mel- 
bourne's despatch  while  I  was  at  dinner,  and  I  left 
the  table  for  a  minute  to  read  it.  Lord  Melbourne 
likewise  informed  me  that  "  the  Address  was  voted 
without  a  dissentient  voice  "  ;  and  that  the  Duke 
of  Wellington  spoke  fairly  ;  adhering  to  his  declara- 
tion of  last  Session,  and  saying  that  the  manner  in 
which  the  Measures  for  Ireland  were  mentioned  in 
the  Speech  would  facilitate  his  intention  to  support 
Ministers  in  their  measures.  None  of  the  Ministers 
spoke.  I  hail  this  bright  and  unanimous  beginning 
as  an  auspicious  augury  of  the  coming  Session  and 
I  trust  that  all  will  do  well.  .  .  . 

Friday,  2Mh  November. —  .  .  .  Saw  Lord  Conyng- 
ham  and  Edwin  Landseer,  who  brought  a  beautiful 
little  sketch  which  he  has  done  this  morning,  of 
a  picture  he  is  to  paint  for  me  of  Hector  and 
Dash.  He  is  an  unassuming,  pleasing  and  very 
young-looking  man,  with  fair  hair.  At  1  Lord  Mel- 
bourne came  to  me  and  stayed  with  me  till  a  J  to  2. 
Talked  over  various  things.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  28th  November. —  ...  At   20   m.   to   1 


1837]  DEBATE    IN   THE   COMMONS  239 

came  Lord  Melbourne  and  stayed  with  me  till  2.  I 
was  glad  to  see  him  looking  well  and  in  high  spirits. 
He  said  it  was  "  a  very  good  debate  "  in  the  House 
of  Lords  ;  that  the  Duke  of  Wellington  had  been 
somewhat  eager  but  had  been  put  down.  The  House 
sat  till  p.  11,  and  Lord  Melbourne  only  got  his 
dinner  then.  I  showed  him  Lord  John's  account  of 
the  Debate  in  the  H.  of  Commons.  He  said  there 
was  a  good  deal  in  this  large  majority  as  the  Opposi- 
tion had  made  rather  a  point  of  it  to  carry  it.  Lord 
Melbourne  was  quite  touched  in  saying  this,  as  he 
knows  how  anxious  I  am  the  Government  should  be 
firm  for  the  peace  of  the  Country  and  for  my  own 
peace  and  happiness  ;  as  also  when  he  spoke  of  the 
readiness  with  which  the  Civil  List  would  be  voted. 
He  is  so  kind  to  me  ;  I  have  the  greatest  confidence 
in  him.  He  is  so  truly  excellent.  I  cannot  say 
HOW  happy  I  am  at  this  good  beginning !  Lord 
Melbourne  even  said,  everything  went  much  better 
than  they  expected.  I  tinist  most  fervently  that  all 
will  continue  thus  well.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  29th  November. —  ...  At  20  m.  p. 
12  Lord  Melbourne  came  to  me  and  stayed  with  me 
till  2.  He  told  me  there  had  been  a  very  short  debate 
upon  the  Duke  of  Newcastle's  ^  bringing  in  a  Bill 
for  the  Repeal  of  the  Catholic  Emancipation  Act  (a 
most  absurd  idea).  He  (the  Duke  of  Newcastle)  was 
only  supported  by  Lord  Lorton  *  and  Lord  Winchilsea. 

^  Henry,  foiirth  Duke.  He  had  been  so  strenuous  an  opponent 
of  the  Reform  Bill,  that,  after  its  rejection,  a  mob  set  fire  to 
Nottingham  Castle,  his  property.  Mr.  Gladstone  was  M.P.  for  Newark 
owing  to  the  Duke's  influence,  which  was  withdrawn  in  1846  when 
Mr.  Gladstone  supported  Peel  on  the  Corn  Laws. 

2  Robert  Edward,  second  son  of  the  second  Earl  of  Kingston,  born 
1773.  He  was  a  Lieut. -General  and  was  created  Viscount  Lorton  in  the 
Irish  peerage  in  1806.     He  was  a  Representative  Peer. 


240  PENSIONS  [^.  18 

Lord  Melbourne  and  Lord  Brougham  spoke.  I  read 
the  speech  of  the  former  (Lord  Melbourne)  in  the 
papers  ;  it  is,  as  all  his  speeches  and  sayings  are,  re- 
markably judicious  and  clever.  ...  At  J  p.  7  we 
dined.  ...  I  sat  between  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
and  the  Marquis  Conyngham.  The  former  I  thought 
looking  very  old,  and  silent  and  out  of  spirits.  I 
think  he  does  not  feel  a  son  aise  dans  sa  ^position  ; 
he  fears  to  displease  his  friends  and  does  not  wish 
to  oppose  the  Ministry  violently.  ...  I  sat  on  the 
sofa  with  Lady  Mulgrave  and  Lady  Barham  ;  Lady 
Wilhelmina  Stanhope  ^  and  Lady  Caroline  Strang- 
ways  ^  sitting  near  me.  Lady  Wilhelmina  is  not  so 
handsome  as  she  was  ;  she  is  not  to  be  compared, 
in  my  opinion,  to  Lady  Fanny  Cowper,  whose  great 
charm,  besides  her  lovely  face,  fine  complexion  and 
beautiful  figure  is  her  great  quietness,  and  unaffected 
manners,  and  unconsciousness  of  her  beauty.  Lady 
Wilhelmina  is  nevertheless  an  agreeable,  clever 
girl.  .  .  . 

Monday,  4th  December. — Got  up  at  J  p.  9.  .  .  . 
At  about  10  m.  to  1  came  Lord  Melbourne  and  stayed 
with  me  till  2.  Talked  about  many  things,  and 
amongst  others  about  the  Pensions  which  give  so 
much  trouble.  Lord  Melbourne  said  he  thought  it 
"  quite  an  abomination  to  meddle  with  the  pensions  " 
which  people  now  had  ;  that  upon  the  whole,  here- 
after, he  was  rather  against  giving  pensions,  for  he 
said,  "  if  people  know  that  you  have  the  power  to 
grant  them,  they  apply  without  end,  and  it  is  very 
difficult  to  refuse "  ;  "  it  requires,"  he  added, 
"  nerves  of  iron  to  refuse,"  and  "  if  you  have  none 

^  See  ante,  p.  188. 

^  Second  daughter  of  Lord  Ilchester,  afterwards  wife  of  Sir  Edward 
Clarence  Kerrison. 


1837J  LORD   MELBOURNE   ON    EDUCATION  241 

to  give  away,  why  there  is  an  end  of  it."  I  tliink 
this  is  all  very  true.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  6th  December. — At  1  came  Lord  Mel- 
bourne and  stayed  with  me  till  a  J  p.  2.  He  told 
me  that  there  was  a  good  deal  of  speaking  in  the 
House  of  Lords  yesterday,  upon  the  2nd  reading  of 
the  Imprisonment  for  Debt  Bill,  and  that  they  sat 
till  10  o'clock.  The  bill,  though  opposed  in  detail, 
by  some,  was  read  a  2nd  time,  and  was  referred  to 
a  Commitee.  In  the  House  of  Commons,  the 
Municipal  Corporation  Bill  for  Ireland  was  introduced 
without  opposition.  There  was  some  debate  upon 
an  affair  of  the  dismissal  of  a  Col.  Verner  in  Ireland 
(which  was  done,  as  Lord  Melbourne  told  me  at 
Windsor,  against  his  (Lord  M.'s)  wish,  and  which  he 
still  dislikes,  but  which  cannot  be  helped  now),  on 
account  of  a  toast  he  gave  at  a  public  dinner.  Lord 
Morpeth  quite  put  him  (Col.  Verner)  down,  by  "  a 
triumphant  speech,"  as  Lord  John  wrote  me  word  ; 
I  always  shew  these  reports  of  Lord  John  to  Lord 
Melbourne.  .  .  .  Lord  Melbourne  led  me  in,  and  I 
sat  between  him  and  Lord  Canning,  who  is  exceedingly 
shy.  Lord  Melbourne  was  in  good  spirits  and  we 
talked  a  good  deal  upon  various  subjects  ;  I  made 
him  laugh  very  much  by  telling  him  what  the 
Duchess  of  Sutherland  told  me  he  had  told  her  about 
Lord  Brougham's  speech  on  education,  which  was  : 
"  That  it  was  tiresome  to  hear,  tiresome  to  educate, 
and  tiresome  to  be  educated."  He  said,  "  I  think 
it  is  very  true."  .  .  . 

Thursday,  7th  December. — Went  into  the  Draw- 
ing room  where  Mr.  Landseer  showed  me  two  most 
beautiful  pictures,  done  by  himself,  one  large,  the 
other  small,  Vv'hich  he  had  brought  for  me  to  see  ; 
the    figures    and    animals    are    all   most    beautifully 

1—17 


242  LANDSEER   AND    HAYTER  [iET.  18 

painted  and  grouped  ;  and  most  exquisitely  finished, 
so  that  I  looked  at  them  through  a  magnifying  glass  ; 
I  never  saw  anything  so  exquisite  in  every  way.  He 
also  showed  me  a  sketch  in  oils  (small)  of  Lord 
Melbourne  which  is  like,  but  too  fat,  and  though 
flattered  is  not  in  my  opinion  half  pleasing  enough. 
It  is  very  well  done  ;  he  also  showed  me  a  sketch 
of  Mrs.  Lister  done  in  one  sitting,  and  exceedingly 
pretty.  He  had  only  had  two  sittings  of  Lord  Mel- 
bourne. He  certainly  is  the  cleverest  artist  there 
is.  Sat  to  Mr.  Hayter  for  a  long  while.  Showed  him 
some  of  my  drawings  which  he  praised  and  told  me 
where  they  were  in  fault.  Drew.  Tried  to  sketch  little 
Mary  Barrington  while  her  mother  amused  her.  .  .  . 
Friday,  8th  December. —  .  .  .  After  dinner  I  sat 
on  the  sofa  with  Lady  Ashley,*  who  was  very  agree- 
able and  talked  to  me  of  her  children  &c.  One  of 
her  charms  is  her  being  so  natural.  Lord  Melbourne 
sat  near  me  the  whole  evening.  He  talked  to  me 
about  the  play,  about  Joan  of  Arc,  whom  he  ad- 
mires, and  said,  "It  is  clearly  proved  that  what  she 
did  is  not  to  be  attributed  to  any  impropriety  of 
conduct."  Many  historians  have  chosen  to  blemish 
the  character  of  this  poor,  innocent  maid,  who  was 
so  great.  He  asked  me  if  I  had  ever  read  Barante's 
History  of  the  Princes  of  the  House  of  Burgundy, 
in  8  vols.,  which  gives  a  whole  account  of  Joan  ; 
which  I  have  not.  M.  de  Barente  is  French  Ambas- 
sador at  St.  Petersburg.  Lord  Melbourne  also  spoke 
to  me  of  Lord  Ashley,  who  he  says  is  a  very  good 

^  Lady  Emily  Cowper.  She  married  Lord  Ashley,  afterwards  Earl 
of  Shaftesbm-y.  She,  her  sister  Lady  Fanny,  and  her  brothers  Spencer 
Cowper  and  WilHam  Cowper  (afterwards  Cowper-Temple),  were  cliil- 
dren  of  the  fifth  Earl  Cowper,  whose  wife,  a  sister  of  Lord  Melboui'ne, 
married,  secondly,  Lord  Palmerston  in  1839.  Spencer  Cowjaer  married 
the  widow  of  Count  d'Orsay,  the  step-daughter  of  Lady  Blessington. 


1837]  LORD   MELBOURNE'S   ANECDOTES  243 

man  ;  and  less  eager  in  Politics  than  he  was  ;  Lord 
Ashley  is  a  high  Tory.  He  "  adores  "  Lady  Ashley, 
Lord  Melbourne  says.  Lord  Melbourne  also  told 
me  that  when  I  first  came  to  the  Throne,  Lord 
Ashley  "  wrote  to  Emily  "  (Lady  Cowper)  "  and  said, 
'  Why,  it's  shocking  that  Lord  Melbourne  has  only 
put  Whig  ladies  about  the  Queen  ' ;  upon  which  Lady 
Cowper  said,  '  Why,  Lady  Barham  is  not  such  a 
great  Whig  '  ;  '  Oh  !  '  said  Ashley,  '  she  is  quite 
terrible,  she  is  the  worst  of  all.'  "  This  amused  me 
much.  There  is  no  end  to  the  amusing  anecdotes 
and  stories  Lord  Melbourne  tells,  and  he  tells  them 
all  in  such  an  amusing  funny  way.  Spoke  to  me 
about  horses  ;  he  told  me  his  pretty  black  mare  is 
rather  crippled  by  his  having  travelled  her  about  so 
much,  and  that  she  must  get  rest.  Lady  Ashley 
says  that  Lady  Cowper  dotes  upon  her  grandchildren 
and  would  give  them  and  let  them  do  anything. 
Stayed  up  till  11.     It  was  a  very  pleasant  evening. 

Saturday,  9th  December. —  ...  I  forgot  to  say 
that  Lord  Melbourne  got  a  letter  after  dinner  from 
Mr.  Cowper  (which  he  showed  me)  from  the  House 
of  Commons,  in  which  he  said,  "  The  Debate  is  going 
in  our  favour."  Lord  Melbourne  spoke  to  me  about 
several  of  the  speakers  in  the  House  of  Commons  ; 
spoke  of  Sir  E.  Sugden  ^  whom  he  says  is  a  very 
clever  lawyer,  and  said,  "  His  father  was  a  hair- 
cutter  ;  he  cut  my  hair  very  often."  This  is  a 
singular  thing.  Told  me  of  an  affront  which  the 
"  Demagogue  Hunt  "  ^  offered  William  Peel  one  day, 

^  Edward  Sugden  (1781-1875).  Afterwards  Lord  St.  Leonards, 
and  Lord  Chancellor  in  the  Derby  Administration  of  1852.  A  dry 
but  efficient  lawyer,  an  excellent  interpreter  of  any  man's  Will  but 
his  own,  which  was  disputed. 

*  Henry  Himt  had  been  a  great  agitator,  notably  in  the  years 
1816-20.     He  was  elected  for  Preston  in  1830. 


244  LORD   BROUGHAM'S    ATTACKS  r^x.  is 

in  the  House  of  Commons,  on  the  latter's  attacking 
him.  Wilham  Peel  said  something  derogatory  about 
Hunt's  extraction,  upon  which  Hunt  repHed  :  "If 
my  father  was  the  first  gentleman  of  his  family,  your 
father  was  the  last  gentleman  of  his  family."  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  12th  December. —  .  .  .  Lord  Melbourne, 
though  looking  pale,  I  was  happy  to  see  in  very  good 
spirits.  A  few  minutes  after  we  had  sat  down,  he 
turned  to  me  and  said,  "  We  have  had  a  great  set-to 
in  the  House  of  Lords."  He  added  that  Lord 
Brougham  ^  had  made  an  unexpected  opposition 
against  the  Message  which  Lord  Melbourne  read  in 
my  name  the  day  before,  pressing  my  increase  of 
income  for  mv  Mother.  Lord  Duncannon  told  me 
that  Lord  Brougham  had  lately  taken  to  making 
cutting  attacks  against  my  Ministers,  and  that  he 
had  most  unhandsomely  attacked  my  excellent  Lord 
Melbourne,  called  him  "  a  Courtier,"  &c.,  &c.,  which, 
no  wonder,  roused  Lord  Melbourne's  temper,  and 
that  he  returned  it  Lord  Brougham  most  admirably. 
He  always  speaks  well,  but  particularly  well  this 
time.  Lord  Duncannon  said.  I  turned  to  Lord  Mel- 
bourne and  said  I  had  heard  he  had  spoken  so  well, 
"  as  you  always  do,"  I  added.  But  he  is  so  modest 
and  backward  about  his  own  extraordinary  merits. 
He  said  to  me,  there  might  be  a  like  difficulty  in  the 
H.  of  Commons  upon  this  Message.  Spoke  to  me 
about  many  other  things  and  about  boys  at  school, 
and  told  me  a  very  amusing  anecdote  about  himself. 
He  and  Lady  Mulgrave  were  saying  how  imprudent 

^  Lord  Brougham,  not  having  been  included  in  the  second  Adminis- 
tration of  Lord  Melbovirne,  was  unsparing  in  his  criticisms  of  his  old 
colleagues.  As  Lord  Melbourne  once  pointed  out  in  reply  to  one  of 
Brougham's  brilliant  attacks,  the  reasons  for  excluding  Lord  Brougham 
from  any  Ministry  must  have  been  very  grave,  if  measured  by  the 
obvious  reasons  for  including  him. 


1837]  MAGNETISM  245 

it  was  to  tell  children  things  which  they  might  not 
repeat.  So  he  said,  "  When  I  was  a  boy  of  ten,  and 
came  home,  my  Mother  was  asking  me  about  the 
boys  at  school,  and  I  mentioned  who  were  there, 
and  amongst  others  the  present  Lord  Boston.*  My 
Mother  said  '  Oh  !  every  Irby  is  a  fool,'  which  is 
very  true  ;  so,  when  I  went  back  to  school,  I  told 
this,  and  said,  '  My  Mother  says  every  Irby  is  a 
fool.'  This  was  repeated,  and  written  back  to  Lord 
Boston,^  and  created  most  dreadful  offence."  We 
then  spoke  about  Magnetism,  which  every  body  is 
mad  about  now  ;  and  I  said  it  was  very  disagreeable 
to  be  magnetised,  as  people  got  to  say  such  odd 
things  in  this  magnetic  state.  "  Why,"  said  Lord 
Melbourne,  "  people  say  odd  enough  things  without 
being  magnetised."  .  .  .  Spoke  of  Lord  and  Lady 
Ashley,  their  happiness  and  fondness  for  each  other. 
I  spoke  to  him  of  Lady  C.  Barrington's '  gratitude 
to  me,  at  which  his  eyes  filled  with  tears.  He  is  the 
kindest,  best,  and  tenderest  hearted  man  I  know  ; 
he  is  so  truly  excellent,  and  moral,  and  has  such  a 
strong  feeling  against  immorality  and  wickedness  ; 
and  he  is  so  truly  kind  to  me.  .  .  . 

Friday,  22nd  December. —  .  .  .  Lord  Melbourne 
spoke  to  me  a  good  deal  about  the  Privy  Purse, 
about  its  expenses,  the  Pensions  on  it,  &c.,  &c. 
About  the  Household  Expenditure  ;  about  many 
other  things  concerning  expenditure ;  about  the 
late  Kings,  George  4th  and  William  4th's  fancies, 
&c.,  &c.  His  ideas  about  all  these  things  are  so 
reasonable    and    so    excellent.  ...  I    sat    between 

1  George,  third  Lord  Boston  (1777-1869). 

2  Frederick,  second  Lord  Boston  (1749-1825). 

3  Daughter  of  the  second  Earl  of  Chiciiester ;   married  in  October 
1837  to  the  Rev.  and  Hon.  L.  J.  Barrington. 

1—17* 


246         MOTHERS  AND  CHARACTER       [i^r.  is 

Lord  Melbourne  (who  led  me  in)  and  Lord  Palmer- 
ston.  I  was  delighted  to  see  Lord  Melbourne  in 
excellent  spirits,  and  looking  much  better.  He  was 
very  clever  and  funny  about  education,  at  dinner  ; 
his  ideas  are  excellent  about  it,  I  think.  He 
said  that  he  thought  almost  every  body's  charac- 
ter was  formed  by  their  Mother,  and  that  if  the 
children  did  not  turn  out  well,  the  mothers  should 
be  punished  for  it.  I  daresay  his  noble,  fine  and 
excellent  character  was  formed  by  his  mother,'  for 
she  was  a  remarkably  clever  and  sensible  woman. 
He  told  me  that  the  Civil  List  Bill  was  read  a  third 
time  that  evening,  without  any  opposition.  The 
news  are,  I  grieve  to  say,  very  bad  from  Canada  ^ ; 
that  is  to  say  rumours  and  reports  by  the  Papers, 
though    we   have   no    Official   Reports.     But    Lord 

^  Lady  Melbourne  was  a  daughter  of  Sir  Ralph  Milbanke,  and 
William  Lamb  was  her  favourite  son.  When  Peniston,  her  eldest  son, 
died,  she  encoui'aged  William  to  devote  himself  to  politics  and  to 
abandon  the  Bar. 

2  The  Canadian  question  was  one  of  the  most  difficult  of  the  early 
years  of  the  Queen's  reign.  Upper  and  Lower  Canada  were  totally 
dissimilar  in  race,  tradition,  and  natui'al  position.  Lower  Canada 
was  peopled  mainly  by  French  Roman  Catholics,  Upper  Canada 
by  Scottish  Protestants,  and  the  mode  of  Government  in  both  was 
as  cimibrous  and  inappropriate  as  it  could  well  be,  and  afforded 
unquestionable  ground  for  grievance  on  the  part  of  the  inhabitants. 
In  1836  a  rebellion  broke  out  in  the  Lower  Province  headed  by  Papi- 
neau,  who  had  been  Speaker  of  the  Assembly.  This  was  followed  by 
an  insurrection  in  the  LTpper  Province,  which  was  quelled  in  a  striking 
and  almost  quixotic  manner  by  Sir  Francis  Head,  the  Governor,  who, 
dismissing  all  his  regular  troops  to  the  Lower  Province,  trusted  to  the 
people  to  put  down  the  malcontents,  and  succeeded.  Lord  Durham 
was  sent  out  in  18.38  as  High  Comixiissioner  and  Governor-General. 
His  report  on  the  proper  method  of  administering  the  Colony  is 
historical,  and  ultimately  formed  the  basis  of  settlement.  His  acts  were 
not  approved  by  the  Whig  Government  and  were  annulled  by  them. 
He  anticipated  his  recall  by  resigning  and  coming  home  before  the 
end  of  1838. 


1837]  AT   WINDSOR  247 

Melbourne  hopes  that  it  may  not  be  so  bad  as  it  is 
rumoured.  There  certainly  is  open  Rebellion.  This 
makes  it  expedient  that  Parliament  should  meet 
again  on  the  16th  January  and  not  adjourn  till  the 
1st  Feb.  as  was  at  first  intended.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  26th  December. —  ...  At  3  I  left 
Buckingham  Palace  (with  regret,  as  I  had  passed  a 
pleasant  time  there),  with  Mamma  and  Lady  Mul- 
grave ;  Lady  Mary,  Miss  Cocks,  Mrs.  Campbell,  Col. 
Grey,i  Lehzen,  Miss  Dillon,  and  Miss  Davys  follow- 
ing in  2  other  carriages.  We  arrived  at  Windsor 
Castle  at  J  p.  5.  It  was  quite  dark.  The  Castle 
looked  very  cheerful  and  comfortable,  and  I  cannot 
say  how  much  it  put  me  in  mind  of  last  summer  and 
of  the  VERY  VERY  HAPPY  days  I  spent  there.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  27th  December. —  .  .  .  Besides  our 
party  of  yesterday,  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Suther- 
land and  the  Duke  of  Argyll  (who  all  stay  here  till 
Monday,  1st  Jan.)  dined  here.  The  Duchess  was 
looking  so  well  ;  neither  she  nor  the  Duke  have 
ever  been  staying  at  Windsor  before  and  are  de- 
lighted with  the  Castle.  I  sat  between  the  Duke  of 
Sutherland  and  Mr.  Cowper.  I  talked  a  great  deal 
with  the  latter,  and  a  great  deal  about  Lord  Mel- 
bourne. He  says  that  all  the  people  who  have  never 
seen  Lord  Melbourne  and  come  to  have  interviews 
with  him,  and  those  Members  of  the  H.  of  Commons 

^  Charles,  second  son  of  Lord  Grey,  the  ex-Premier.  He  was 
Equerry  to  the  Queen,  and  had  a  year  or  two  earlier  defeated  Disraeli 
at  the  High  Wycombe  election.  He  became  Private  Secretary  to 
Prince  Albert  and  later  to  the  Queen.  He  spent  all  the  years  of  his 
Life  in  the  Queen's  service,  and  was  always  helpful,  wise,  and  un- 
biassed in  the  advice  he  tendered  her.  The  present  Earl  Grey,  Lady 
Victoria  Dawnay,  Lady  Antrim,  and  Lady  Minto  are  his  surviving 
children.  Many  good  judges  considered  his  abilities  of  a  higher  order 
than  those  of  his  father. 


248  MELBOURNE'S   CHARACTERISTICS  [^t.  i8 

who  dine  with  him  and  have  not  seen  or  known  him 
before  and  expect  to  find  the  Prime  Minister  a  very 
proud,  stiff  person,  are  quite  dehghted  with  his  very 
kind,  unaffected,  merry  and  open,  frank  manner, 
which  I  think  everybody  must  and  ought  to  be.     He  [ 

told  me  some  amusing  anecdotes  about  him,   &c.,  / 

&c.,  and  many  other  funny  things.     Lord  Melbourne  / 

is  very  absent  when  in  company,  often,  and  talks  to  \ 

himself  every  now  and  then,  loud  enough  to  be 
heard  but  never  loud  enough  to  be  understood.     I  i 

am  now,  from  habit,  quite  accustomed  to  it,  but  at  1 

first  I  turned  round  sometimes,  thinking  he  was  talk-  \ 

ing  to  me.     Mr.  Cowper  says  he  does  not  think  his  { 

uncle  is  aware  of  it  ;  he  says  he  is  much  less  absent 
than  he  used  to  be.  ...  I 

i 


.7 


iL 


y 


INTRODUCTORY    NOTE    TO    CHAPTER    VIII 

The  impression  produced  by  the  Queen  at  this  time  is  vividly 
described  by  Princess  Lieven  in  a  letter  to  Lord  Aberdeen.  "  I 
have  seen  the  Queen  twice,"  she  writes;  "  I  have  seen  her  alone, 
and  I  have  seen  her  in  Society  with  her  Prime  Minister.  She 
possesses  a  composure,  an  air  of  command,  and  of  dignity,  which 
with  her  childlike  face,  her  tiny  figure,  and  her  pretty  smile,  create 
one  of  the  most  extraordinary  impressions  that  it  is  possible  to 
imagine.  She  is  extremely  reserved  in  conversation.  It  is  said 
that  prudence  is  one  of  her  highest  qualities.  Lord  Melbourne 
adopts,  when  he  is  near  her,  an  attitude  of  affection,  of  content, 
of  self-consciousness  mingled  with  a  great  deal  of  respect,  which 
with  his  easy  manners,  the  obvious  habit  of  holding  the  first 
place  amid  her  surroundings,  his  dreaminess  at  one  moment, 
and  his  gaiety  at  another,  make  a  picture  you  can  easily  realise. 
The  Queen  is  full  of  amiability  towards  him." 

That  is  a  glimpse  of  the  external  setting  in  which  these  Journals 
were  composed.  Lord  Melbourne  never  forgot,  from  the  outset, 
that  the  girl  to  whom  he  was  acting  as  guardian  and  tutor  was 
the  Sovereign  of  these  Realms.  His  letters  from  the  first  are 
written  in  the  conventional  form  of  a  Minister  addressing  the 
Sovereign.  Although  he  obviously  tried  in  conversation  to 
amuse  the  Queen,  and  to  impart  to  her  youthful  intelligence  some 
knowledge  of  Society,  and  of  the  world  of  Affairs  in  which  she 
was  about  to  take  part,  he  did  not  shrink  from  the  graver  topics 
of  statecraft,  and  did  not  spare  her  the  details  of  public  matters 
that  must  have  been  difficult  for  her  to  grasp  and  comprehend. 

There  is  a  passage  in  one  of  his  letters,  written  about  this 
time,  in  which  he  is  explaining  to  the  Queen  the  powers  and 
duties  which  it  was  intended  to  transfer  from  the  Secretary  of 
State,  who  combined  at  that  time  the  administration  of  Colonial 
and  Military  affairs,  to  a  new  Secretary  of  State  for  War.  Lord 
Melbourne  adds  these  w^ords :  "  Your  Majesty  will  not  suppose 
that  Lord  Melbourne  by  laying  before  you  the  whole  case  has  an 
idea  of  throwing  the  weight  of  such  a  decision  entirely  upon 
Your  Majesty.  Lord  Melbourne  will  deem  it  his  duty  to  offer 
to  Your  Majesty  a  decided  opinion  upon  the  subject."  This 
passage  illuminates,  if  taken  in  conjunction  with  Princess  Lieven's 
descriptive  passage,  the  atmosphere  in  which  Lord  Melbourne 
and  the  Queen  were  living  at  this  time.  To  this  young  Queen  he 
was  Roger  Aschara  and  Burleigh  in  one  and  in  petto. 

249 


CHAPTER   VIII 

1838 

Monday,  \st  January. —  .  .  .  The  Duke  of  Suther- 
land told  me  the  other  night,  that  Lord  Melbourne's 
mother  (whom  he  knew)  was  a  very  agreeable, 
sensible,  clever  woman,  and  that  Lord  Melbourne 
was  very  like  her  as  to  features  ;  Lady  Melbourne 
was  very  large  latterly.  Lord  Melbourne's  father, 
on  the  contrary,  the  Duke  said,  was  very  far  from 
agreeable  or  clever  ;  he  was  a  short  fat  man  and 
not  like  any  of  his  children.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
80.  The  Duchess  of  Sutherland  spoke  to  me  last 
night  about  Lady  Caroline  Lamb,^  Lord  Melbourne's 
'  wife  ;  she  was  Lord  Duncannon's  only  sister,  and 
the  strangest  person  that  ever  lived,  really  half 
crazy,  and  quite  so  when  she  died  ;  she  was  not 
good-looking,  but  very  clever,  and  could  be  very 
amusing.  She  teazed  that  excellent  Lord  Melbourne 
in  every  way,  dreadfully,  and  quite  embittered  his 
life,  which  it  ought  to  have  been  her  pride  to  study 
to  render  a  happy  one  ;  he  was  the  kindest  of  hus- 
bands to  her,  and  bore  it  most  admirably ;  any 
other  man  would  have  separated  from  such  a  wife. 

1  Lady  Caroline  Ponsonby,  daughter  of  the  third  Earl  of  Bessborough, 
a  lady  of  eccentric  mind  and  habits.  She  was  thrown  off  her  mental 
and  moral  balance  by  her  acquaintance  with  Lord  Byron,  not  perhaps 
so  surprising  as  the  fact  that  she  never  recovered  either  even  after 
Byron's  death. 

260 


1838]  A   NEW   HORSE  251 

He  has  now  the  greatest  horror  of  any  woman  who 
is  in  any  way  eccentric  or  extravagant,  which  shows 
how  very  much  he  must  have  suffered  from  such 
a  wife.  The  Duchess  told  me  the  strangest  stories 
about  her.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  2nd  January. —  ...  I  rode  a  new 
horse,  a  most  delightful  creature,  called  Tartar  ;  he 
is  taller  than  Barbara,  excessively  pretty,  and  of  a 
very  dark  brown  colour ;  he  has  a  very  springy 
charming  canter  and  action,  is  full  of  spirit,  and  yet 
as  quiet  as  a  lamb,  never  shies  and  is  the  best- 
tempered  creature  possible  ;  to  crown  all  these 
valuable  qualities,  Tartar  is  exceedingly  sure- 
footed. It  was  a  delightful  ride  and  we  cantered 
a  great  deal  coming  home  ;  the  roads  were  so 
dirty  that  my  habit  was  quite  heavy  with  mud. 
Changed  my  dress  and  walked  out  with  Lady 
Mulgrave  and  Lehzen  and  came  home  at  \  p.  3. 
Read  Despatches  from  Canada  which  are  very 
interesting.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  4<th  January. —  ...  At  J  p.  5  came 
my  excellent,  kind  friend,  Lord  Melbourne,  whom  I 
was  quite  delighted  to  see  again  after  such  a  long 
absence,  the  longest  that  has  taken  place  since  I 
came  to  the  Throne.  I  thought  him  in  very  good  "^ 
spirits,  and  looking  well,  though  pale,  and  as  kind, 
amiable  and  mild  as  ever ;  never  do  I  find  any 
difference  in  this  excellent  man,  may  he  be  very 
tired,  or  not  tired,  he  is  always  equally  kind  and  / 
gentle,  though  he  may  at  times  be  low.  I  was  agree- 
ably surprised  to  find  him  in  good  spirits,  for  from 
his  letters  and  all  the  troubles  and  difficulties  he  has 
had  of  late,  I  feared  it  might  not  be  so.  He  spoke 
to  me  first  a  good  deal  about  Canada  ;  said  they 
were  all  agreed  as  to  what  was  to  be  done,  namely 


252  CANADIAN   AFFAIRS  [i^r.  is 

to  repeal  a  Statvite  {which,  I  cannot  say),  and  for 
the  present,  govern  as  Canada  had  been  governed 
before  ;  but  that  Lord  Howick  was  of  a  different 
opinion  and  thought  that  these  strong  measures 
ought  to  be  accompanied  by  conciHatory  measures, 
which  Lord  Melbourne  said  would  not  answer  the 
purpose  and  have  a  bad  effect ;  Lord  Howick,  he 
said,  was  excessively  eager  about  this,  for  various 
reasons  which  Lord  Melbourne  explained  to  me  ;  "  if 
Lord  Howick  was  to  resign,"  he  added,  "  I  do  not 
think  that  would  affect  the  Government ;  it  would 
be  a  bad  thing  for  there  is  a  good  deal  of  strength  in 
him."  The  other  question,  about  the  Army,  he 
considered  a  more  difficult  one  ;  the  five  Ministers 
who  signed  the  Report  relative  to  the  changes 
meditated  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  are, 
Lord  John  Russell,  Lord  Howick,  Lord  Palmerston, 
Sir  J .  Hobhouse,  and  Mr.  Spring  Rice.  Lord  Howick 
and  Lord  John,  he  said,  are  the  only  two  who  are 
eager  about  it ;  the  others  he  believed  signed  it 
reluctantly,  particularly  Mr.  Rice.  We  spoke  a  good 
deal  about  this  difficult  question  ;  there  is,  in  my 
opinion,  a  good  deal  for  and  a  good  deal  against  it. 
It  is,  as  Lord  Melbourne  says,  creating  a  new  Minister 
with  new  powers,  by  giving  the  Secretary  at  War 
great  power  over  the  Army.  There  have  been,  as 
Lord  Melbourne  says,  great  abuses  which  it  would 
be  desirable  to  remedy.  Spoke  about  the  Troops  to 
be  sent  to  Canada  ;  about  Mr.  Rice's  wish  to  take 
the  Chair  ;  about  his  reasons  for  doing  so  ;  how  to 
replace  him ;  about  the  present  Speaker ;  about 
the  quarrel  in  Belgium  relative  to  the  cutting  of 
timber  in  the  Griinewald  ;  about  the  King  of  Han- 
over's foolish  proceedings  ;  how  they  are  viewed  in 
Germany  ;  about  some  despatches  from  Sir  Frederick 


1838]  LORD    MELBOURNE   ON   MUSIC  253 

Lamb/  saying  that  Metternich  was  much  displeased 
at  the  expulsion  of  the  Archbishop  of  Cologne,  at 
the  manner  of  doing  it,  and  at  the  impolicy  of  the 
act.  Lord  Melbourne  said  he  had  dined  once  or 
twice  at  Lord  Holland's  *  since  I  had  seen  him.  I 
was  quite  happy  to  talk  to  him  again,  as  there  were 
many  subjects  on  which  I  wanted  explanation  and 
he  explains  so  well  and  so  clearly  and  agreeably.  .  .  . 
My  good  Lord  Melbourne  led  me  in  and  I  sat  be- 
tween him  and  Lord  Torrington.  He  (Ld.  M.)  spoke 
to  me  about  many  things  ;  about  riding  and  horses  ; 
about  bad  ears  for  Music  ;  said  that  everybody  woidd 
suppose  from  Scott's  writings  that  he  was  very  fond 
of  and  understood  music  very  well ;  whereas  Lord 
Melbourne  said,  he  said  :  "In  music  I  don't  know 
high  from  low  !  "  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  9th  January, —  ...  At  22  m.  to  12 
came  my  excellent  Lord  Melbourne  and  stayed  with 
me  till  27  m.  p.  12.  He  had  informed  me  by  a  note 
in  the  morning,  that  he  should  be  obliged  to  go  to 
London  which  I  am  extremely  sorry  for ;  Lord 
Glenelg  wrote  to  him  wishing  to  see  him,  and  both 
he  and  Lord  Glenelg  were  to  see  Lord  Durham  at 
four  about  this  Canadian  business.  /  shall  say  more 
of  this  hereafter.     Lord  Melbourne  said  :    "It  will 

^  Lord  Melbourne's  brother,  afterwards  Lord  Beauvale,  Ambassador 
Extraordinary  at  Vienna.  As  a  diplomatist  he  was  irreproachable, 
handsome,  agreeable,  and  adroit.  In  private  life  he  was  not  alto- 
gether sans  reproche.  Without  his  brother  William's  literary  acquire- 
ments, and  with  less  sarcasm  and  pungent  wit,  he  yet  had  a  vigorous 
understanding,  much  information,  and  no  little  capacity  for  affairs. 
At  sixty  years  of  age,  and  in  broken  health,  he  married  a  very  young 
lady,  the  daughter  of  Count  Maltzahn,  the  Prussian  Minister  at  Vienna. 

2  Henry  Richard,  third  Lord  Holland  of  the  1762  creation,  was 
Chancellor  of  the  Duchy  of  Lancaster.  Under  the  auspices  of  his  wife, 
Holland  House,  Kensington,  was  for  many  years  the  Zoar  of  weary 
Whig  politicians.     See  ante,  p.   101,  note. 


254  PRAISE   OF   LORD   MELBOURNE  [iEx.  18 

be  a  long  interview,  I  dare  say  ;  probably  last  2 
hours,  and  there  would  be  no  time  to  be  back," — 
meaning  for  dinner  tonight,  so  he  will  only  come 
back  at  4  tomorrow  ;  I  am  very  sorry  to  lose  him 
even  for  one  night.  Spoke  a  good  while  about  this. 
Spoke  about  this  army  business,  upon  which  Lord 
Melbourne  will  see  Lord  Howick.  He  said,  "  It 
would  be  madness  to  propose  at  this  moment  a 
complete  change  in  the  Administration  of  the  Army, 
when  we  have  got  all  these  affairs  of  Canada."  He 
spoke  of  this  a  good  deal ;  and  seemed  to  hope  Lord 
Howick  would  give  it  up  ;  he  said  the  others  would 
be  ready  to  do  so  if  he  did.  .  .  .  Though  I  think 
Lord  Duncannon  agreeable  and  amusing,  I  cannot 
find  in  him  or  in  any  of  the  other  Ministers,  that 
kindness,  mildness,  and  open  frankness,  and  agree- 
ability  (to  use  a  word  of  Lady  Mary  Stopford's) 
which  I  find  in  my  kind  friend  Lord  Melbourne  ; 
he  alone  inspires  me  with  that  feeling  of  great  con- 
fidence and  I  may  say  security,  for  I  feel  so  safe 
when  he  speaks  to  me  and  is  with  me  ;  what  he  says 
is  all  so  kind  and  good,  and  he  never  says  anything 
which  could  alarm  or  hurt  me.  But  I  should  not  wish 
to  be  on  the  same  confidential  footing  with  any  of 
my  other  Ministers  as  I  am  with  this  truly  excellent 
friend.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  10th  January. —  .  .  .  Lord  Melbourne 
said  that  he  had  seen  Lord  Durham  who  seemed 
very  much  inclined  to  accept  the  Proposition  of 
going  to  Canada  ;  he  (Ld.  D.)  was  not  quite  satisfied 
with  all  the  plans  proposed  by  Government,  and 
particularly  with  a  Council  of  17,  which  he  said  was 
too  many  ;  that  he  could  not  manage  more  than  4 
or  5.  Lord  Durham  requires.  Lord  Melbourne 
added,  a  large  outfit,  as  he  would  not  spend  any  of 


1838]  THE   STATE   OF   GREECE  255 

his  private  fortune  ;  and  he  would  not  go  till  the 
Navigation  was  open.  Lord  Melbourne  then  told 
me  that  he  had  seen  Lord  Howick  who  seemed  "  dis- 
posed to  reconsider  "  the  question  of  the  army,  and 
said  he  would  not  press  parts  of  it,  and  would  give 
way  on  some  points.  This  is  a  great  satisfaction 
and  I  think  Lord  Melbourne  seemed  quite  happy 
about  it.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  17th  January. —  .  .  .  My  excellent 
Lord  Melbourne  led  me  in,  and  I  sat  between  him 
and  Lord  Glenelg.  Lord  Melbourne  said  he  was, 
and  I  was  happy  to  see  he  looked,  better.  He  said, 
as  he  led  me  in,  that  the  Majority  in  the  House  of 
Commons  of  the  night  before  was  very  favourable. 
He  spoke  to  me  about  Greece  ;  said  he  had  heard 
from  his  brother  that  they  were  very  uneasy  at 
Vienna  about  the  state  of  Greece  ;  said  that  the 
only  person  who  showed  any  sense  or  character  there 
was  the  Queen  of  Greece,'  but  that  she  was  very 
young  and  was  placed  in  rather  a  rougher  situation 
than  suited  her  ;  that  the  Archduke  John  *  had  told 
Sir  Frederic  (on  his  return  from  Greece)  "  that  she 
was  like  a  Brazillian  Paraquite  in  a  wood  of  firs 
covered  with  snow,"  meaning  that  she  was  in  a 
position  not  suited  to  her  ;  I  said  to  Lord  Melbourne 
that  I  had  heard  in  the  Summer  that  there  were 
hopes  of  there  being  an  heir  in  some  time  ;  he  said, 
*'  I  am  afraid  not."  He  told  me  that  the  Archduke 
John  had  likewise  told  his  brother  that  the  Emperor 
of  Russia '  was  beginning  to  sink  under  the  immense 
weight  and  fatigue  of  governing  such  an  empire  as 

1  Amelia,  daughter  of  the  Grand  Duke  of  Oldenbourg,  married  to 
Otho  I.,  King  of  Greece. 

*  Uncle  of  the  Emperor, 

*  Nicholas  I.,  reigned  1826-55. 


256  VARIOUS    CONVERSATIONS  [^et.is 

Russia  ;  we  spoke  about  him  some  time  ;  and  also 
a  good  deal  about  the  Austrian  Royal  Family  ;  Lord 
Melbourne  told  me  that  the  Emperor  of  Austria  * 
was  worse,  and  hardly  able  to  do  anything  ;  but, 
that  as  his  mental  faculties  decreased,  his  bodily 
strength  increased.  Spoke  of  Aunt  Louise  ;  of  the 
Queen  of  Portugal ;  of  Clementine,  Augustus,  &c., 
of  Feodore,  her  happiness,  her  not  being  rich  ;  he 
spoke  of  the  poverty  of  the  younger  branches  in 
high  families  in  England,  and  of  their  being  often 
obliged  to  gain  their  livelihood  in  inferior  situations  ; 
he  said  that  he  thought  his  nephew  Lord  Cowper 
was  cleverer  and  had  "  a  sounder  understanding  " 
than  William  Cowper.  .  .  .  Spoke  about  Shake- 
spear's  plays  ;  Hamlet,  Macbeth,  Lear,  &c.,  &c.  ;  he 
thinks  the  2  first  named  the  finest ;  he  said  :  "I 
think  the  German  critics  understand  Shakespear 
better  than  we  do  here  "  ;  mentioned  Goethe's  Wil- 
helm  Meister,  and  Schlegel's  book  upon  Shakespear, 
which  he  thinks  very  good  ;  he  knew,  or  at  least 
saw,  Schlegel  here  ;  he  knew  Mme.  de  Stael ;  spoke 
of  her,  of  her  daughter,  the  Duchess  de  Broglie ; 
spoke  of  actresses  ;  of  their  marrying  out  of  their 
sphere  ;  of  its  often  not  answering  ;  of  Lady  Har- 
rington,* Lady  Craven  »  (the  Dowager),  Lady  Derby 
(the  late),*  Mrs.  Butler  ;  of  marriages  in  general, 
and  most  cleverly  and  sensibly  ;  of  their  often  being 
broken  off — the  reasons  why.     Lord  Melbourne  said, 

*  Ferdinand  I.,  born  in  1793,  succeeded  his  father,  Francis  I.,  in 
1835.     He  was  brother  to  Napoleon's  second  wife,  Marie  Louise. 

2  Charles,  fourth  Earl  of  Harrington,  married  Maria,  daughter  of 
Samuel  Foote  the  actor. 

3  William,  first  Earl  of  Craven,  married  Louisa,  an  undistinguished 
actress,  daughter  of  John  Brunton  of  Norwich. 

*  Edward,    twelfth    Earl    of    Derby,    married   Elizabeth  Farren,  a 
Haymarket  actress  of  considerable  beauty  and  charm. 


1838]  THE  DUKE   OF  WELLINGTON  257 

"  Why,  you  see,  a  gentleman  hardly  knows  a  girl 
till  he  has  proposed,  and  then  when  he  has  an  un- 
restrained intercourse  with  her  he  sees  something 
and  says,    '  This  I  don't  quite  like.'  "... 

Friday,  19th  January. —  .  .  .  The  cold  in- 
creases, the  snow  is  getting  deep,  and  I  hear  the 
Thames  is  frozen  over  very  nearly,  which  has  not 
happened  since  1814.  At  |^  p.  1  came  my  excellent 
friend  Lord  Melbourne  and  stayed  with  me  till  3. 
He  looked  well,  I  was  very  happy  to  see,  and  said 
he  was  not  at  all  tired.  He  said  that  they  had  got 
through  this  Canada  business  very  well ;  that  Lord 
Brougham  made  a  good  though  very  violent  speech  ; 
that  the  Duke  of  Wellington's  was  very  fair ;  in 
fact  very  friendly ;  that  he  (Lord  Melbourne) 
thought  the  only  difficult  part  to  defend  was  the  not 
having  sent  more  troops;  "but,"  he  added,  "there 
the  Duke  of  Wellington  came  to  our  assistance,  and 
said  there  were  not  too  few  troops."  Spoke  about 
Canada  for  some  time.  ...  In  speaking  of  the  Duke  of 
Wellington  he  said  :  "  He  has  no  oratorical  powers  ; 
he  attempts  no  ornament,  but  speaks  generally  very 
much  to  the  point ;  he  cannot  always  express  what 
he  feels  and  understands."  He  added  that  people 
sometimes  who  were  great  in  action  could  not  ex- 
press well  in  words  what  they  meant  and  conceived  ; 
spoke  of  all  the  Duke's  family,  and  said  he  thought 
the  Duke  was  the  cleverest ;  asked  me  if  I  had  ever 
read  the  Duke's  Despatches,  and  said  they  were 
worth  looking  at,  to  see  the  way  he  did  them.  .  .  . 
Lord  Melbourne  told  me,  in  speaking  of  the  Duke  of 
Wellington,  "  His  people  are  very  angry  with  him  ; 
they  think  he  is  leaving  them."  How  Avrong  of  these 
people  I     I   told    Lord    Melbourne    what    my    Uncle 

Leopold    had   written   to   me    about   him    (Ld    M.), 
1—18 


258  PUNISHMENTS  [^t.is 

which  seemed  to  please  him.  Talked  of  other  things. 
Talked  for  some  time  with  him  and  Lord  Palmerston, 
about  education,  punishments,  &c.,  Lord  Melbourne 
was  amazingly  funny  and  amusing  about  this.  I 
said  I  thought  solitary  confinement  a  good  punish- 
ment :  Lord  Melbourne  replied,  "  I  think  it's  a  very 
stupefying  punishment."  I  mentioned  the  system 
of  silence  as  a  very  good  one  and  quoted  myself  as 
a  proof  of  its  having  answered,  which  made  them 
laugh  very  much.  Lord  Melbourne  said,  "  It  may 
do  very  well  with  a  lively  child ;  but  with  one  of  a 
sulky,  grumpy  disposition  it  would  not  answer."  ...  I 
said  I  thought  it  cruel  to  punish  children  by  depriv- 
ing them  of  their  meals  and  saying  they  should  go 
without  their  supper,  &c.  Lord  Melbourne  replied, 
"  Why,  when  I  was  a  child,  they  had  contrived  to 
annoy  me  so,  and  had  made  me  cry  so  much,  that  I 
had  lost  all  appetite." 

Saturday^  20th  January. —  ...  At  |  p.  12  Lord 
Glenelg  presented  Lord  Durham  to  me  on  his  ap- 
pointment ;  Lord  Glenelg  then  left  the  room  and 
Lord  Durham  remained  with  me  for  about  J  an 
hour,  I  should  say.  He  spoke  entirely  about  Canada 
which  subject  he  seems  to  understand  thoroughly  ; 
said  he  considered  the  task  he  was  about  to  under- 
take, a  most  difficult  one  ;  and  he  might  not  suc- 
ceed ;  but  that  he  would  do  his  utmost  to  restore 
tranquillity  in  Canada  ;  said  he  wished  to  have  my 
authority,  when  the  rebellion  was  quelled,  to  con- 
ciliate these  deluded  people  and  to  hold  out  mercy 
to  them.  He  spoke  at  much  length  about  all  this, — 
about  what  he  intended  to  do, — the  difficulty  of  the 
task,  &c.,  &c.  At  J  p.  1  came  Lord  Melbourne  and 
stayed  with  me  till  20  m.  p.  2.  He  seemed  well. 
He  said,  "  I  am  sorry  to  say  I  received  a  letter  from 


1838]  ARMY   DIFFICULTIES  259 

Lord  Howick  this  morning  and  that  he  makes  a 
great  demur  about  this  Army  affair."  Lord  Mel- 
bourne then  added  tliat  as  it  was  such  a  difficult 
question  and  as  it  could  be  done  "as  it  were  by  one 
blow,"  and  as  the  Army  disliked  it  so  much  and 
altogether  it  was  such  a  bad  time  for  it,  and  he 
thought  it  such  a  difficult  question,  that  he  could 
not  give  way  to  him  upon  it,  and  could  not  advise 
me  to  do  it ;  he  added  he  would  not  mind  it  near  so 
much  if  it  were  brought  before  Parliament  and  there 
fairly  discussed,  for  then  if  it  passed,  it  would  be 
done  by  the  authority  of  Parliament ;  but  in  this 
way,  it  was  so  entirely  to  be  done  by  me,  as  it  were, 
that  he  really  could  not  agree  to  it ;  moreover  that 
if  even  it  were  a  very  good  thing  in  itself  (which  he 
does  not  think  it),  this  would  not  be  the  moment 
for  doing  it ;  none  of  the  other  Ministers  he  thought 
were  eager  for  it ;  but  if  it  were  proposed  in  the 
Cabinet  and  carried  by  a  majority  against  Lord 
Howick,  he  (Ld.  H.)  might  resign  (which  Lord  M. 
says  would  be  a  bad  thing,  but  would  not  affect  the 
Government),  and  Lord  Melbourne  did  not  know 
what  Lord  John  Russell  might  then  do,  if  Lord 
Howick  held  out  on  it ;  which  would  then  affect  the 
Government.  I  told  Lord  Melbourne  that  if  it  could 
be  of  any  use,  he  might  say  that  /  quite  agreed  with 
him  (Lord  Melbourne)  and  that  he  might  rely  upon 
me  ;  which  assurance  pleased  him,  though  I  think 
he  must  long  be  aware  of  my  firm  resolution  to  sup- 
port this  kind  and  true  friend  of  mine,  as  he  truly 
and  really  is,  in  every  way.  .  .  .  Got  a  few  lines 
(when  I  went  to  my  room)  from  Lord  Melbourne  (I 
generally  hear  from  him  and  write  to  him  every  day, 
and  very  often  two  or  three  times  a  day),  in  which  he 
said   that   great   difference    had   prevailed    and   did 


\ 


260  SCOTT'S   NOVELS  [^t.is 

prevail  in  the  Cabinet  respecting  the  Details  about 
Canada.  A  Cabinet  had  been  held  immediately 
after  he  left  me.     I  am  very  sorry  to  hear  this. 

Sunday,  21st  January. —  .  .  .  After  dinner  be- 
fore we  sat  down,  I  talked  to  Lord  Melbourne  about 
some  important  things ;  I  asked  him  the  cause  of 
the  differences  in  the  Cabinet ;  he  said  that  he  wished, 
and  also  most  of  the  others,  that  the  Legislative 
Council  in  Canada  should  be  chosen  from  those 
which  composed  the  present  Legislative  Assembly, — 
whereas  Lord  Howick  and  some  others  wished  the 
Council  should  be  chosen  from  the  Country  at  large, 
and  not  from  the  Assembly  ;  Lord  Melbourne  was 
against  this  and  for  this  reason  ;  we  should  probably 
lose  by  such  an  Election  many  of  the  English  party, 
now  in  the  Legislative  Assembly,  and  get  a  good 
many  of  the  French  party  who  would  be  hostile  to 
us ;  and  consequently  diminish  our  influence  ;  none 
of  the  other  Ministers  were  as  obstinately  for  this  as 
Lord  Howick — but  he  at  length  gave  way.  .  .  .  He 
was  very  funny  about  a  word  which  Lady  Mary 
gave  me  to  find  out ;  she  gave  me  the  ivory  letters 
and  I  was  to  find  out  the  word  ;  she  gave  me  "  ther- 
mometer," and  she  spelt  it  with  an  "  a  "  instead  of 
an  "  e,"  and  laughed  very  much  at  her  bad  spelling; 
upon  which  Lord  Melbourne  said,  "It  is  a  very 
good  way  to  spell  it,  but  not  the  way,"  which  made 
us  laugh.  I  said  to  him  I  was  reading  the  first 
novel  I  had  ever  read — The  Bride  of  Lammer- 
moor  ;  he  said  it  was  a  very  melancholy — a  terrible 
story — but  admires  it ;  he  mentioned  Old  Mor- 
tality, Quentin  Durward,  The  Fair  Maid  of 
Perth,  and  Kenilworth,  as  Scott's  best  novels ; 
he  said  there  was  "  a  great  deal  of  good  "  and  "  a 
great  deal  of  bad  "  in  his  novels  ;    said  he  admired 


1838]  LORD   FRANCIS   EGERTON  261 

his  poems  very  much,  though  most  people  said  his 
novels  were  greatly  superior  in  their  way  to  his 
poems  ;  spoke  of  Richard  Coeur  de  Lion  whom  we 
both  rather  admire  ;  of  Henry  IV.  and  Sully  ;  Lord 
Melbourne  said  that  Sully  was  a  clever  and  good 
man,  and  greatly  superior  to  those  Ministers  who 
followed  him  ;  Richelieu  and  Mazarin  ;  "  They  were 
shocking  fellows,"  he  added.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  2Srd  January. —  .  .  .  He  spoke  of  what 
had  just  taken  place  in  Canada  ;  said  Sir  John  Col- 
borne  ^  was  an  excellent  officer.  "  A  good  officer," 
he  added,  "  can  generally  effect  with  a  small  force, 
what  a  bad  officer  with  a  large  force  would  fail  in." 
Spoke  about  this  question  of  the  Army.  Said  that 
Lord  Francis  Egerton  '  had  said  in  the  House,  "  That 
the  troops  had  done  remarkably  well  and  that  he 
hoped  nothing  would  be  done  to  tamper  with  the 
management  of  the  Army,"  evidently  alluding.  Lord 
Melbourne  observed,  to  the  intended  changes  in  the 
Army.  I  told  Lord  Melbourne  that  Lord  Adolphus 
Fitzclarence,  on  being  told  that  I  would  continue  to 
him  and  his  brothers  and  sisters  the  same  annual 
allowance  they  enjoyed  from  the  late  King,   burst 

^  Afterwards  Field-Marshal  and  first  Lord  Seaton.  He  was  one 
of  Wellington's  generals  in  the  Peninsula  and  at  Waterloo.  He  was 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  Upper  Canada,  and  on  Lord  Durham's  recall 
was  nominated  to  succeed  him. 

2  Lord  Francis  Egerton  was  the  second  son  of  George  Granville,  first 
Duke  of  Sutherland.  The  immense  fortune  of  Francis,  third  and  last 
Duke  of  Bridgewater  (the  father  of  English  inland  navigation  and,  in 
conjunction  with  Brindley,  constructor  of  the  canal  which  bears  his 
name)  was  devised  to  the  first  Duke  of  Sutherland  for  life,  and  there- 
after to  Lord  Francis,  who  on  attaining  possession  assumed  the  sur- 
name of  Egerton,  in  lieu  of  Leveson-Gower.  A  "  condition  subse- 
quent "  tending  to  divest  the  property  in  a  certain  event  was  decided 
to  be  opposed  to  "  public  policy."  Lord  Francis  was  created  Earl  of 
Ellesmere  in  1846. 

1—18* 


262  LADY   FALKLAND  [^.  is 

into  tears,  and  said  it  was  unexpected,  for  they  did 
not  dare  to  hope  for  anything.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  24ith  January. —  .  .  .  Lady  Falkland,^ 
whom  I  had  not  yet  seen,  was  of  course  presented  to 
me  by  Lady  Portman.^  I  (as  usual  to  all  Peeresses 
and  Ladies  by  courtesy)  wished  to  kiss  her,  but  she 
insisted  on  kissing  my  hand  first  and  then  only 
received  her  kiss  from  me.  ...  I  observed  to  Lord 
Melbourne  that  it  must  be  a  great  trial  for  poor  Lady 
Falkland  dining  here.  .  .  .  Lady  Falkland  must  have 
felt  very  low,  and  it  must  have  been  a  sad  trial  for 
her  to  see  me  for  the  1st  time  in  the  place  of  her 
poor  father,  but  she  behaved  uncommonly  well ; 
she  is  a  very  nice  person.  She  looked  pale  and  thin, 
but  still  very  pretty.  I  sat  on  the  sofa  with  her  ; 
Lord  Melbourne  sitting  near  me  the  whole  evening  ; 
and  all  the  other  ladies  sitting  round  the  table. 
Spoke  with  Lord  Melbourne  about  Lady  Falkland  &c. 
Asked  him  what  he  thought  was  the  best  History 
of  the  last  60  or  70  years.  He  said  there  was  no 
History  of  that  time  only,  but  that  it  must  be  got 
from  different  books  ;  that  the  Annual  Register  was 
as  good  a  book  as  any,  if  I  wanted  to  look  for  any 
particular  event  in  any  one  year.  That  the  begin- 
ning was  written  by  Burke,  and  followed  up  by  Dr. 
Laurence  &c.  Said  that  being  written  at  the  time, 
it  was  tinctured  with  party  spirit.  He  said  Adolphus's 
History  of  George  III.  was  curious  as  he  had  got  a 
good  deal  of  information,  and  that  the  anecdotes 
told  in  it  were  true,  though  the  names  of  the  people 

1  Lady  Falkland.  Amelia  Fitzclarence,  daughter  of  William  IV. 
See  ante,  p.  113. 

2  Edward  Berkeley  Portman,  representative  of  an  old  Dorsetshire 
and  Somersetshire  family,  was  created  Baron  Portman  in  1837.  In 
1827  he  married  Emma,  third  daughter  of  the  Earl  of  Harewood,  who 
was  at  this  time  one  of  the  Ladies  of  the  Bedchamber  to  Queen  Victoria. 


1838]  VARIOUS   HISTORIES  263 

were  sometimes  wrong.  Said  that  Hume's  History 
of  England  was  undoubtedly  the  best,  in  spite  of 
his  party  prejudices,  and  that  he  thouglit  I  would  like 
it  much  better  now  than  when  I  read  it  before. 
Spoke  of  Clarendon's  History  of  the  Rebellion  (which 
I  told  him  I  had  read),  which  he  thought  curious, 
but  likes  his  (Clarendon's)  Memoirs  better.  Spoke 
of  Mrs.  Hutchinson's  book,  said  I  had  been  reading 
it ;  he  thinks  that  "  a  nice  book  "  and  "  very  curi- 
ous "  ;  he  knew  the  Editor  of  it  ;  spoke  of  Charles 
the  First,  whom  I  thought  much  to  blame.  .  .  . 
Spoke  of  Sismondi,  whom  he  thinks  a  dull  writer  ; 
he  recommends  Barante's  History  of  the  House 
of  Burgundy ;  and  Daru's  History  of  Venice ; 
spoke  of  Voltaire's  Histories  ;  of  O'Driscol's  Ire- 
land which  he  likes  and  whom  he  knew  ;  of  Scott's 
History  of  Scotland  which  he  has  not  read,  &c.  &c.  .  .  . 
Thursday,  25th  January. —  ...  At  J  p.  3  came  my 
excellent  Lord  Melbourne  and  stayed  with  me  till 
J  p.  4.  He  said,  "  I  think  we  have  patched  this  up," 
meaning  the  affair  about  the  bill  relating  to  Canada. 
"  We  mean  to  stand  by  the  bill,"  he  added,  "  and 
take  our  chance  of  a  division."  Lord  John,  he  said, 
was  very  much  for  leaving  the  Preamble  out,  and 
was  not  at  all  pleased  at  being  obliged  to  stand  by  it ; 
and  Lord  Melbourne  said  it  was  a  bad  thing  "  to  force 
a  man  to  do  what  he  dislikes  when  he  has  a  principal 
part  to  act  in  it,"  which  is  very  true.  He  added 
something  more  about  Canada  and  what  was  meant 
to  be  done,  if  they  were  beat  about  this  clause.  He 
said  that  Lord  Howick's  great  violence  irritated  the 
others  on  the  other  side  (in  the  Cabinet)  ;  Mr. 
Thomson  was  very  eager  against  Lord  Howick's  ideas 
about  Canada.  I  asked  him  if  Mr.  Poulett  Thom- 
son was  eager  ;    he  replied  that  he  was,  but  that  he 


264  WHIG   DOCTRINE  [^t.  is 

could  control  himself,  which  Lord  Howick  could  not, 
and  was  excessively  cross,  and  kept  saying  he  would 
resign  and  would  not  be  party  to  this  and  that, 
which  offended  the  others.  .  .  .  Spoke  of  Sir  Robert 
Peel,  who  I  observed  I  thought  was  more  eager  than 
the  Duke  of  Wellington.  Lord  Melbourne  replied 
he  was  not  acquainted  with  Sir  Robert  Peel's  charac- 
ter, could  not  judge  of  his  feelings,  did  "  not  know 
if  he  was  desirous  of  office  or  not."  Said  he  believed 
that  his  (the  Duke's)  party  were  very  angry  with 
him  for  what  he  had  said  in  the  House  of  Lords, 
and  therefore  that  Sir  Robert  was  obliged  to  be 
more  violent  in  order  to  keep  his  party  together. 
"  This  I  believe  to  be  the  truth,"  Lord  Melbourne 
observed.  .  .  . 

Friday,  26th  January. —  .  .  .  He  told  me  that  they 
had  settled  the  matter  about  Canada.  "  We  have 
settled  to  leave  out  the  Preamble  ;  Lord  Howick 
has  given  way,  and  owned  he  was  in  the  wrong." 
He  added  :  "It  will  be  a  triumph  to  the  other  party, 
but  I  don't  much  mind  that."  I  said  that  I  was 
surprised  Lord  Howick  had  given  way.  Lord  Mel- 
bourne replied  :  "  He  is  not  devoid  of  candour,"  but 
that  his  opinions  were  so  very  strong  that  he  did  not 
feel  able  to  "  surrender  them."  Said  that  Sir  Robert 
Peel  had  justly  observed  that :  "  what  was  the 
necessity  of  asking  Parliament  about  what  they 
were  going  to  do  "  ;  "we  don't  mean  to  oppose  you  ; 
we  won't  fetter  you."  "  Why  therefore  ask  our 
approbation  of  what  you  are  going  to  do?"  "Act 
like  any  other  Ministers  and  then  afterwards  we  will 
approve    or    disapprove    what     has    been     done."  ^ 

^  This  high  Constitutional  doctrine  was  certain  to  meet  with  the 
approval  of  a  Whig  like  Lord  Melboiirne.  It  has  been  the  secret  of 
ministerial  responsibility  and  of  executive  power  in  the  Constitution 


1838]  RECOMMENDATIONS  265 

"  Now,"  Lord  Melbourne  said,  "  this  is  almost  un- 
answerable." He  is  the  fairest  person  about  his 
opponents  I  ever  knew  ;  so  frank,  so  noble  !  so 
candid  !  .  .  .  .  Spoke  of  the  Combinations  of  the 
workmen  in  Scotland  and  Ireland  and  England, 
which  he  says  are  quite  frightful.  This  led  him  to 
speak  of  servants,  of  their  combinations  with  trades- 
people, their  being  bribed,  &c.  He  observed  how 
disagreeable  it  was  to  recommend  tradespeople  or 
servants  ;  he  said  that  his  coachmaker  had  come  to 
him  this  morning  and  begged  him  to  write  a  letter 
to  the  Bishop  of  Ely  to  recommend  him  to  him. 
"  Very  well,"  said  Lord  Melbourne,  "  I  will  write  a 
letter  if  you  wish  which  I  will  show  you."  "  So  I 
wrote  to  the  Bishop  of  Ely,"  continued  Lord  Mel- 
bourne ;  "  '  My  dear  Lord, — Mr.  Robson  has  been 
my  coachmaker  for  many  years,  and  I  believe  him 
to  be  a  very  good  one,  but  so  he  ought,  for  I  must 
say  he  is  a  very  dear  one.'  '  Now,'  I  said  to  the 
man,  '  here  is  the  letter,  you  may  read  it  if  you 
like.'  "...  At  7  I  went  to  Drury  Lane  with  the 
Duchess  of  Sutherland,  Lady  Portman,  Miss  Caven- 
dish, Lady  Mary  Stopford,  Lord  Conyngham,  Lord 
Headfort,  and  Col.  Buckley  (who  this  day  replaced 
Col.  Grey).  It  was  Shakespear's  tragedy  of  Ham- 
let, and  we  came  in  at  the  beginning  of  it.  Mr. 
Charles  Kean  (son  of  old  Kean)  acted  the  part  of 
Hamlet  and  I  must  say  beautifully.  His  conception 
of  this  very  difficult  and  I  may  almost  say  incompre- 
hensible character,  is  admirable  ;  his  delivery  of  all 
the  fine  long  speeches  quite  beautiful ;  he  is  exces- 
sively graceful  and  all  his  actions  and  attitudes  are 
good,  though  not  at  all  good-looking  in  face  ;  the 

of  this  covintry,  and  its  working  has  been  admired  by  many  foreign 
observers. 


266  BARON   MUNCHAUSEN  [^t.  is 

two  finest  scenes  I  thought  were  the  Play-scene^ 
which  he  acts,  they  say,  quite  differently  to  any  other 
actor  who  has  performed  Hamlet ;  and  the  scene 
with  his  mother,  the  Queen  ;  it  was  quite  beautiful 
when  he  rushed  out  after  having  killed  Polonius, 
exclaiming,  "Is  it  the  King  ? "  He  fights  un- 
commonly well  too.  All  the  other  characters  were 
very  badly  acted.  I  came  away  just  as  Hamlet  was 
over.  They  would  recognise  me  between  the  2nd 
and  3rd  acts, — I  was  compelled  to  come  forward, 
curtsey,  and  hear  "  God  save  the  Queen  "  sung.  The 
house  was  amazingly  crowded  and  they  received  me 
admirably.     Came  home  at  \  p.  10. 

Saturday,  27th  January. —  .  .  .  Told  Lord  M.  I  had 
been  much  pleased  with  Hamlet  last  night ;  observed 
it  was  a  very  hard  play  to  understand,  which  he 
agreed  in  ;  he  said  he  thought  the  end  of  it  "  awk- 
ward "  and  horrid  ;  said  he  thought  Hamlet  was 
supposed  to  be  mad,  of  a  philosophical  mind,  and 
urged  to  do  something  which  he  did  not  like  to  do. 
He  added  that  Mr.  Fox  always  said  that  Hamlet 
possessed  more  of  Shakespear's  faults  than  almost 
any  other  play  of  Shakespear,  &c.,  &c. — Saw  Lord 
Palmerston  who  introduced  Baron  Munchausen, 
Minister  from  the  Court  of  Hanover.  ...  I  told  Ld. 
M.  of  my  last  recollection  of  Baron  Munchausen,^ 
namely,  my  giving  him  a  commission  to  send  me 
some  wax  dolls  from  Berlin,  which  made  Lord  Mel- 
bourne laugh  excessively.  He  spoke  of  children's 
love  for  dolls,  and  that  they  sometimes  think  they 
are  alive.     Spoke  of  my  former  great  love  for  dolls.^ 

^  Baron  Alexander  von  Munchausen,  a  Hanoverian  diplomatist, 
was  then  about  twenty-five.  He  was  not  the  hero  of  a  celebrated 
romance. 

^  That  the  Queen  always  retained  a  sentiment  for  her  dolls  may 


1838]  RICHARD   III:   HENRY   VII.   AND   VIII.  267 

.  .  .  After  dinner,  talked  (before  I  sat  down)  with 
all  the  gentlemen,  &c.  Spoke  about  Kean  with  Lord 
Melbourne  ;  about  Landseer  and  the  sketches  which 
Lord  Melbourne  saw  and  none  of  which  he  "  thought 
Z^A;^,"  he  said,  though  very  clever.  .  .  .  Lord  Mel- 
bourne said  that  Richard  III.  by  Shakespear  was  a 
very  fine  play  ;  I  observed  that  Richard  was  a  very 
bad  man  ;  Lord  Melbourne  also  thinks  he  was  a 
horrid  man  ;  he  believes  him  to  have  been  deformed 
(which  some  people  deny),  and  thinks  "  there  is  no 
doubt  that  he  murdered  those  two  young  Princes." 
I  was  delighted  to  hear  Lord  Melbourne  say  he  thought 
Henry  7th  a  very  bad  man,  and  reckless  of  blood  ; 
spoke  of  the  inhuman  murder,  I  may  call  it,  of  the 
young  Earl  of  W^arwick  ;  he  said  that  Ferdinand  of 
Spain  would  not  give  his  daughter  Catherine  to 
Arthur  unless  this  poor  Warwick  was  got  rid  of  ; 
that  Catherine  felt  this  all  along  and  observed  that 
it  dwelt  upon  her  and  "  that  it  did  not  go  well  with 
her  in  the  world  "  for  this  reason.  He  spoke  of 
Henry  VIII.  ;  said  he  was  not  so  bad  at  first  and 
had  begun  with  good  intentions  ;  spoke  of  Catherine 
of  Arragon,  &c.,  &c.  ;  that  when  Henry  VIII.  took 
a  liking  to  somebody  else,  he  only  sought  to  get  rid 
of  the  other  in  the  quickest  way.  Spoke  of  the  wars 
in  Flanders.  .  .  .  He  fell  asleep  for  a  little  while 
in  the  evening,  which  is  always  a  proof  that  he  is 
not  quite  well.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  30th  January. —  ...  I  asked  Lord  M. 
what  Lord  Palmerston's  Politics  were  at  the  time  when 
he  stood  against  Lord  Lansdowne  and  Lord  Althorp. 
Lord    Melbourne    said    that    Lord  Palmerston    then 

be  realised  from  the  care  with  which  they  were  preserved.  They  are 
exhibited  in  the  London  Museum  at  Kensington,  arranged  and  ticketed 
with  the  names  given  to  them  by  Princess  Victoria. 


268  CHRISTIAN   NAMES  [mt.is 

belonged  to  the  high  Tory  Party  !  Spoke  of  the 
change  of  opinions  &c.,  &c.  Spoke  of  the  salaries 
&c.  of  my  people,  and  spoke  of  Names,  Christian 
names,  for  a  long  while  ;  said  that  Lady  Vivian's  ^ 
little  girl  was  called  Lalage,  from  Horace  ;  he  thought 
the  name  rather  pretty  on  account  of  the  lines  which 
he  repeated  and  which  are,  I  think,  "  Dulce  ridentem, 
Lalagen  amabo,  Dulce  loquentem."  Told  him  of  the 
intention  there  once  was  of  changing  my  name,  which 
he  was  surprised  at,  and  could  not  think  how  it 
could  have  been  done. 

Thursday,  1st  February. — The  curious  old  form  of 
pricking  the  Sheriffs  was  gone  through  ;  and  I  had 
to  prick  them  all,  with  a  huge  pin.  This  was  the 
first  Council  that  I  have  yet  held  at  which  Lord  Mel- 
bourne was  not  present,  and  I  must  say  I  felt  sad 
not  to  see  him  in  his  place  as  I  feel  a  peculiar  satis- 
faction, nay  I  must  own  almost  security,  at  seeing 
him  present  at  these  formal  proceedings,  as  I  know 
and  feel  that  I  have  a  friend  near  me,  when  I  am  as 
it  were  alone  among  so  many  strangers.  This  may 
sound  almost  childish,  but  it  is  not  so.  Saw  Lord 
John  Russell.  ... 

Saturday,  Srd  February. — Received  a  communica- 
tion from  Lord  Melbourne  which  I  shall  transcribe : 
"  Lord  Melbourne  presents  his  humble  duty  to  Your 
Majesty  and  acquaints  Y.M.  that  the  Canada  Govern- 
ment Bill  was  read  a  second  time  in  the  House  of 
Lords,  with  the  single  dissentient  voice  of  Lord 
Brougham.  Lord  Melbourne  sends  the  returns  of 
the  attendance  and  the  speeches.  Lord  Brougham 
made  a  long  and  able   speech,  not  over-violent  for 

1  Letitia,  wife  of  Sir  Hussey  (afterwards  Lord)  Vivian.  The  child 
Lalage  married,  in  1857,  Henry  Hyde  Nugent  Bankes,  son  of  the  Right 
Hon.  George  Bankes. 


1838]  WELLINGTON   ON   CANADA  269 

him.  The  Duke  of  Wellington  made  a  moderate 
speech  and  concluded  with  some  very  able  views  " 
(I  think)  "  of  the  subject.  Lord  Aberdeen  and  Lord 
Wharncliffe  also  spoke,  both  strongly  condemning 
the  conduct  of  Government."  This  note  was  dated 
from  last  night.  Heard  also  from  Lord  John  Russell 
that  they  had  proceeded  in  the  House  of  Commons 
with  the  Irish  Corporation  Bill  and  the  Pluralities 
Bill.  .  .  .  Lord  M.  said  they  sat  till  near  12  o'clock 
last  night.  Said  "  it  was  a  very  good  Debate." 
"  The  Duke  of  Wellington,"  he  added,  "  again  made 
a  very  fair  speech  "  ;  and  that  the  Duke's  remarks 
were  very  good  about  Canada,  for  that  there  was  a 
great  deal  to  say  about  it ;  and  that  the  Duke  ob- 
served, "  that  each  Mail  brought  the  account  of  some 
new  and  very  important  event."  He  (Ld.  Melbourne) 
said  that  Lord  Aberdeen  and  Lord  Wharncliffe 
"  were  very  severe."  I  asked  him  if  Lord  Aberdeen 
was  not  rather  a  dull  and  heavy  speaker  ;  he  replied 
in  the  affirmative  ;  and  said  (in  reply  to  my  question 
as  to  whether  he  were  a  good  speaker)  that  Lord 
Wharncliffe  was  a  good  speaker  and  spoke  "  very 
clearly."  I  asked  him  about  Lord  Brougham's 
speech  which  he  said  "  was  more  bitter  than  violent  ; 
very  bitter,  but  a  fine  speech."  Lord  Melbourne 
told  me  :  "  We  have  not  yet  settled  this  Army 
Question  ;  but  I  am  more  and  more  convinced  it 
would  be  madness  to  propose  it ;  and  after  this  affair 
of  Canada  too."  He  seemed,  however,  I  thought, 
sanguine  about  its  being  ultimately  settled. 

Sunday^  Hh  February. — Lord  Melbourne  asked  if  I 
had  seen  King  Lear  (which  I  had  half  intended 
to  do  last  week)  ;  I  said  I  had  not.  He  said  (alluding 
to  the  manner  in  which  it  is  being  performed  at 
Covent   Garden),   "  It  is  King  Lear  as   Shakespear 


270  LORD   MELBOURNE   ON   SHAKESPEARE     [^et.  is 

wrote  it  ;  and  which  has  not  been  performed  so, 
since  the  time  of  Queen  Anne."  As  it  is  generally 
acted,  Lord  Melbourne  told  me,  it  is  altered  by 
Gibber,  who  "  put  in  a  deal  of  stuff  "  of  his  own  ; 
that  it  was  a  much  finer  play  as  Shakespear  wrote  it, 
but  "  most  dreadfully  tragic."  That  Dr.  Johnson 
had  seen  it  performed  in  that  way,  and  that  "  it 
made  such  an  impression  on  him  that  he  never  forgot 
it."  I  observed  to  him  that  I  feared  that,  and  did 
not  like  all  that  madness  on  the  stage.  Lord  Mel- 
bourne said,  "  I  can't  bear  that,  but  still  it  is  a  very 
fine  play,  and  many  think  Shakespear's  best." 
Spoke  of  the  play  of  Richard  III.,  which  I  said  I 
was  going  to  see.  Lord  Melbourne  said  it  was  "  a  fine 
striking  play."  He  observed  that  that  scene  where 
Richard  makes  love  to  Anne,  at  the  funeral  of 
Henry  VI.,  did  not  belong  to  the  play,  but  was  taken 
from  Henry  VI.  ;  he  said,  "  That  is  a  very  foolish 
scene  ;  I  always  thought  it  a  most  ridiculous  scene  ; 
and  there  is  not  the  slightest  foundation  in  History 
,  for  it ;  he  married  her  8  years  afterwards."  He 
added  that  Shakespear  constantly  mixed  up  events, 
in  his  Historical  plays,  without  minding  when  they 
happened,  and  how  far  asunder. 

Monday,  5th  February. — Lord  M.  showed  me  a  letter 
he  had  got  this  morning,  from  Lord  Ebrington,*  saying 
that  Lord  Tavistock  (who,  Lord  Melbourne  tells  me, 
has  great  influence  over  Lord  John,  and  was  sent 
for)  had  prevailed  on  Lord  John  to  put  off  the  Army 
Question  till  June  or  July  ;  so  that  Lord  Melbourne 
says  they  will  get  over  it  this  Session  ;  and  when  a 
thing  is  put  off,  he  added,  it  is  often  forgotten  or 
the  moment  not  found  suitable  for  it.  "  But,"  con- 
tinued Lord  Melbourne,   "  when  one  gets  over  one 

1  See  ante,  p.  73. 


1838]  GOVERNMENT   DIFFICULTIES  271 

difficulty,  there  always  comes  another  ;  and  there  is 
now  another  question  of  great  difficulty,  which  is 
the  Ballot."  He  then  explained  to  me,  that  not 
only  several  of  their  supporters  but  even  some  of 
the  Government  had  pledged  themselves  to  the 
Ballot,  and  consequently  after  Lord  John  made  that 
very  decided  declaration  against  the  Ballot,  these 
people  said  they  must  go  against  this  ;  amongst 
others  Sir  Hussey  Vivian  who  has  pledged  himself 
to  it ;  and  Lord  Melbourne  says  if  they  should  vote 
for  it  after  Lord  John's  declaration,  either  they  or 
perhaps  Lord  John  will  resign,  and  this  "  would 
make  such  gaps  in  the  Government  as  would  make 
it  very  difficult  to  fill  up  ;  and  Sir  Hussey  Vivian  has 
written  to  Lord  John  this  morning,  and  he  to  me, 
saying  I  shall  have  to  choose  whether  I  will  accept 
Sir  Hussey 's  or  his  resignation."  Lord  Melbourne 
however  said  he  would  see  if  he  could  manage  it, 
which  I  fervently  hope  and  trust  he  will ;  but  he  is 
sadly  teazed  and  plagued.  He  said,  "  There  is  a 
succession  of  difficulties  in  a  Government."  ...  At 
20  m.  to  7  I  went  with  Lady  Portman,  Lady  Tavis- 
tock, Miss  Cavendish,  Miss  Pitt,  Lord  Conyngham, 
Lord  Headfort,  and  Col.  Buckley  to  Drury  Lane 
theatre.  We  came  in  before  the  performance  had 
commenced.  It  was  Shakespear's  tragedy  of 
Richard  III.,  and  Charles  Kean's  first  appearance 
(in  London)  as  Richard.  The  house  was  crammed 
to  the  ceiling ;  and  the  applause  was  tremendous 
when  Kean  came  on  ;  he  was  unable  to  make  himself 
heard  for  at  least  five  minutes  I  should  say.  He 
was  dressed  exactly  like  his  father,  and  all  those  who 
were  with  me,  and  who  had  seen  his  father,  were 
struck  with  the  great  resemblance  to  his  father  both 
in  appearance  and  voice.     It  would  be   impossible 


272  CHARLES   KEAN  [*t.  i8 

for  me  to  attempt  to  describe  the  admirable  manner 
in  which  Kean  dehneated  the  ferocious  and  fiend-hke 
Richard.  It  was  quite  a  triumph  and  the  latter  part 
particularly  so  ;  he  was  applauded  throughout  in 
the  most  enthusiastic  manner.  He  acted  with  such 
spirit  too  !  One  of  the  best  scenes  was  the  one  when 
the  Lord  Mayor  urges  him  to  accept  the  regal  Dignity, 
which  Kean  did  uncommonly  well.  As  also  the 
disagreeable  and  absurd  scene  with  Lady  Anne. 
The  manner  in  which  he  gave  :  "So  much  for 
Buckingham,"  was  truly  splendid,  and  called  down 
thunders  of  applause,  as  also  many  other  of  the 
scenes  where  he  gets  very  much  excited  ;  he  fought 
and  died  beautifully.  He  was  uncommonly  well 
disguised,  and  looked  very  deformed  and  wicked. 
All  the  other  parts  were  very  badly  acted,  and  the 
three  women  were  quite  detestable.  It  is  a  fine, 
heart-stirring  play,  and  there  are  some  beautiful 
passages  in  it.  I  but  just  escaped  being  recognised, 
for  as  the  curtain  was  dropping  and  I  left  the  box, 
they  called  out  "  the  Queen." 

Tuesday,  6th  February. — At  17  m.  p.  2  came  my 
kind  friend  Lord  Melbourne  who  said  he  was  better, 
and  stayed  with  me  till  20  m.  p.  3.  He  spoke  to  me 
about  Mr.  Roebuck's  ^  speech  of  last  night ;  said  "  it 
was  a  very  bitter  speech."  I  told  him  what  Lord 
John  had  written  to  me  of  what  took  place  in  the 
House  of  Commons  last  night.  He  spoke  to  me  about 
this  Parliamentary  Elections  Bill ;  said  it  would  he 
thought  not  pass  the  House  of  Lords.     Gave  me  an 

1  Mr,  (afterwards  Rt.  Hon.)  John  Arthur  Roebuck.  A  Liberal 
"  free  lance,"  who  earned  the  sobriquet  oi  "  Tear-'em."  Lord  John 
Russell  had  brought  in  a  Bill  for  suspending  the  Constitution  of  Canada, 
and  Mr.  Roebuck,  who  was  not  at  the  time  in  Parliament,  claimed 
to  be  heard  at  the  bar  of  both  Houses  as  agent  for  the  Lower  Province. 
He  made  a  very  able  but  bitter  speech. 


1838]  THE   BALLOT  QUESTION  273 

explanation  about  it,  and  about  people's  being  un- 
able to  vote  unless  they  had  paid  the  rates  up  to  the  1 
very  day  ;  and  that  many  people  wanted  to  get 
rid  of  this  ;  but  the  Lords  did  not  like  that  as  they 
thought  it  was  "  meddling  with  the  Reform  Bill." 
I  asked  him  if  he  had  done  anything  more  about  the 
Ballot.  He  replied  that  he  had  heard  from  Lord 
John  this  morning,  who  said  they  had  best  wait  the 
decision  ;  he  added  that  Lord  John  thinks  he  must 
resign  if  any  of  the  others  vote  for  the  Ballot,  as 
after  his  very  strong  declaration  against  it,  he  would 
consider  their  voting  for  it  as  "  passing  a  censure  upon 
him  "  ;  Lord  Melbourne  said  he  did  not  quite  think 
that,  and  that  he  thought  Lord  John  took  it  rather 
too  seriously  ;  but  he  added  :  "  Lord  John  does." 
Lord  Melbourne  said  he  thinks  it  better  not  to  take 
much  notice  of  who  vote  for  or  against  it ;  and  he 
added  "  we  took  no  notice  of  it  when  Lord  Charles 
Fitzroy  voted  for  it  (Ballot)  last  year  ;  he  is  a  very 
foolish  man,  I  think."  I  said  to  him  that  I  believed 
the  Cabinet  were  all  agreed  upon  this  question  ;  he 
replied  they  were  ;  "  that  is  to  say  either  to  vote 
against  its  being  made  an  open  question,  or  not  to 
vote  at  all."  He  added  that  Sir  John  Hobhouse  and 
Mr.  Poulett  Thomson  did  not  vote  at  all,  having  he 
believed  pledged  themselves  before  they  came  into 
the  Ministry.  .  .  .  Lord  Melbourne  told  me  he  had 
dined  at  home  the  night  before.  Spoke  to  him  about 
the  play  of  Richard  III.,  and  of  Kean  ;  spoke  of 
Richard  III.  himself,  who  he  (Ld.  M.)  believes  to 
have  been  crooked  and  deformed,  and  to  have 
murdered  the  two  young  Princes  ;  though,  he  said, 
that  great  pains  had  been  taken  to  trace  it  all  in 
the  Historical  Doubts  by  Horace  Walpole  and  to 
prove  the  contrary.  He  also  mentioned  the  well- 
1—19 


274  WELLINGTON'S   MANNER  [^.  is 

known  old  story  of  the  old  Countess  of  Desmond/ 
who  "  said  she  had  danced  with  him "  (Richard) 
"  the  night  of  his  Coronation  and  that  he  was  a  very 
handsome  man."  Spoke  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  ; 
he  said  "  The  Duke  of  Wellington  is  amazingly  sen- 
sible to  attention  ;  nothing  pleases  him  so  much  as 
if  one  asks  him  his  opinion  about  anything."  He 
added  that  many  people  were  offended  with  the 
Duke's  abrupt  manner  of  speaking  ;  I  observed  that 
I  thought  that  was  only  a  manner,  and  that  he  did 
not  mean  it  so.  "  No  more  do  I,"  replied  Lord 
Melbourne.  Spoke  of  Lord  Ebrington,  who  Lord 
Melbourne  has  known  a  long  while  and  says  is  a 
clever  man  and  possesses  a  considerable  influence 
over  Lord  John  ;  Lord  Tavistock  also  he  added,  has 
influence  over  his  brother  John  ;  "  but,"  said  Lord 
Melbourne,  "  Lord  Tavistock  has  also  got  some 
strange  notions  ;  he  lives  a  great  deal  in  the  country  ; 
and  people  who  live  a  great  deal  in  the  country  pick 
up  strange  ideas."  I  asked  him  if  he  thought  there 
would  be  much  opposition  to  the  Irish  Poor  Laws  in 
the  House  of  Lords.  "  I  think  there  will  be  none," 
he  said.  "  I  don't  think  there  will  be  any  difficulty 
about  any  of  the  Questions — it's  only  this  Ballot." 
I  asked  him  if  he  had  seen  Lord  John  about  it.  He 
replied  that  others  had,  but  that  "  I  don't  like  to 
speak  to  him  about  it ;  I  feel  rather  awkward  about 
speaking  to  him  about  it,  as  last  year  he  wanted  me 
to  make  it  an  open  question  and  I  refused  ;   and  now 

1  Catherine,  widow  of  the  twelfth  Earl  of  Desmond,  died  in  1604, 
having  survived  her  husband  seventy  years.  There  seems  much  doubt 
about  the  principal  dates  of  her  life,  e.g.  those  of  her  birth  and  mar- 
riage, but  she  is  said  to  have  attained  the  remarkable  age  of  140  years, 
and  to  have  died  by  a  fall  from  a  cherry-tree.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh 
records  that  he  knew  her  and  that  she  "  was  married  in  Edward  IV.'s 
time." 


1838]  TROOPS   IN   CANADA  275 

that  I  want  him  to  relax  he  wovild  say,  '  Why,  what 
have  you  to  say  ?  '  "  He  said  Lord  John  was  "  very 
unbendable "  about  it.  Lord  Melbourne  wanted 
him  not  to  be  so  very  particular  about  it,  and  let 
them  vote  for  or  against  it  (its  being  an  open  ques- 
tion) and  not  take  much  notice  of  it ;  but  Lord  John 
said  that  after  his  declaration  that  would  affect  him. 
I  asked  who  were  the  others  who  wanted  to  vote  for 
it.  "  Why,  Sir  Hussey  Vivian  is  the  one  of  the 
greatest  consequence,  and  Parnell,"  ^  he  replied, 
"  The  fact  is,  Vivian  should  not  have  pledged  him- 
self ;  he  carried  his  election  in  a  way  he  should  not 
have  done." 

Wednesday,  7th  February. — Lord  Melbourne  said  he 
had  just  been  to  see  Lord  Durham  "  who  wants  more 
force."  He  (Ld.  D.)  said  that  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
had  told  him  he  ought  to  have  75,000  men  in  Canada, 
to  put  it  down.  Lord  Melbourne  further  told  me 
that  the  Duke  of  Wellington  had  been  to  see  Lord 
Durham  on  Friday,  he  thinks  ;  stayed  with  him  for 
an  hour  and  a  half  ;  had  gone  with  him  through  the 
whole  thing,  had  told  him  how  to  manage  the  troops 
by  sending  them  from  one  place  to  another,  and  told 
him  all  his  ideas  of  doing  the  thing.  Lord  Melbourne 
seemed  quite  pleased  about  it.^  I  showed  Lord  Mel- 
bourne a  letter  I  had  got  from  Stockmar,  about 
which  Lord  Melbourne  said  he  would  write  to  Stock- 
mar.  Spoke  about  my  asking  Sir  Robert  Peel  &c. 
to  dinner,  which  led  us  to  speak  about  Lady  Ashley, 

^  Henry  Brooke  Parnell  had  been  member  for  Maryborough  in  the 
Irish  House  of  Commons,  and  was  now  member  for  Dundee.  He  was 
made  Paymaster-General  on  that  office  being  constituted  in  1838. 
Afterwards  created  Lord  Congleton. 

2  The  Duke  never  allowed  political  feeling  to  interfere  with  what 
he  considered  public  duty.  As  a  politician  he  was  a  Tory  ;  but  as  g, 
soldier  he  had  no  politics. 


276  LORD   ELLENBOROUGH  [^t.  is 

who,  Lord  Melbourne  says,  is  decided  in  her  politics, 
though  not  violent ;  she  is  a  Tory  ;  Lord  Melbourne 
says  she  does  not  talk  about  it  much  ;  but  he  thinks 
she  has  at  one  time  discussed  it  with  her  mother, 
who  of  course  is  a  Whig  ;  I  said  I  supposed  Lady 
Fanny  had  no  ideas  of  her  own  about  Politics  ;  he 
replied,  "  Why  I  think  she  is  a  Tory."  I  was  sur- 
prised ;  said  laughing  I  thought  it  very  wrong,  and 
very  odd,  as  all  her  brothers  were  Whigs.  Spoke  to 
him  at  dinner  about  various  things  ;  he  told  me  Mr. 
Roebuck  is  a  small  man  with  "  small  finely  cut 
features,"  and  that  he  speaks  well — "  plainly,  with- 
out ornament." 

Thursday,  8th  February. — He  said  he  thought  there 
would  be  some  debate  in  the  H.  of  Lords  about  the 
third  reading  of  the  Canada  bill  tonight ;  he  thinks 
Lord  Ellenborough  ^  will  speak.  I  asked  him  if  he 
(Ld.  E.)  was  a  clever  man  ;  he  replied,  "  He  is  a  dis- 
agreeable, conceited  man,  but  a  clever  man."  .  .  , 
Lord  Melbourne  told  me  today  that  when  he  was  as 
young  as  Lord  Canning  is  now,  he  "  was  very  shy  "  ; 
"  I  think  I  was  about  as  shy  as  anybody  could  be," 
he  said. 

Friday,  9th  February. — Got  the  following  commu- 
nication from  Lord  Melbourne.  "  The  Canada  Bill 
was  read  a  third  time  yesterday  evening  without 
division,  but  after  a  Debate  which  lasted  until  ten 

*  Lord  Ellenborough  (1790-1871)  was  a  son  of  the  Chief  Justice, 
and  sat  in  several  Conservative  Cabinets.  He  was  Governor-General 
of  India  in  1844,  and  recalled  from  his  post  by  the  directors  of  the 
East  India  Company  in  opposition  to  the  wish  of  the  Cabinet,  who  at 
once  recommended  him  for  an  earldom.  He  was  too  imaginative  and 
daring  for  the  post  of  Governor-General  at  this  period  of  Indian  ad- 
ministrative history  ;  but  his  memory  was  often  revived  in  the 
person  of  a  more  daring  and  more  brilliant  successor  in  that  high 
office. 


1838]  THE   CANADA   BILL  277 

o'clock.  Lord  Ashburton  ^  made  a  speech  generally 
upon  the  subject  of  Colonies,  Lord  Mansfield  '  made 
an  elaborate  attack  upon  the  Government  and  in 
some  measure  complained  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
and  Sir  Robert  Peel  for  not  having  taken  more  active 
measures  in  opposition,  and  Lord  Brougham  re- 
peated the  observations  which  he  had  before  made, 
with  no  diminution  of  vehemence.  The  speakers  were 
Lord  Ellenborough,  Lord  Glenelg,  Lord  Ashburton, 
Lord  Mansfield,  Lord  Lansdowne,  Lord  Brougham, 
Lord  Melbourne,  Lord  Fitzwilliam,'  who  spoke  with 
great  kindness  of  the  Government,  but  declared  his 
disapprobation  of  the  Bill."  I  asked  Lord  Melbourne 
the  other  day  how  many  Peers  could  constitute  a  / 
House  of  Lords  and  be  considered  able  to  sit ;  he 
said  three  ;  and  in  the  House  of  Commons  40  Mem- 
bers must  be  present  to  make  a  House  of  Commons. 
I  likewise  asked  him  if  there  was  any  particular  form 
when  a  Peer  takes  his  seat ;  he  said  on  his  creation 
there  was  a  great  deal  of  form  ;  but  on  taking  it  in 
a  new  Parliament  or  upon  succeeding  to  the  Title 
there  was  hardly  any.  "  You  go  up  to  the  table," 
he  added,  "  take  the  oaths,  pay  the  fees,  and  shake 
hands  with  the  Chancellor."  Lord  Melbourne  also 
told  me  that  any  Peer  may  bring  in  any  bill  and  lay 
it  upon  the  table,  and  it  is  generally  read  a  first 
time  ;  whereas  "  in  the  H.  of  Commons,  they  must 
always  move  for  leave  to  bring  in  a  bill."  He  said 
that  Lord  Ashburton  had  got  that  "  fashionable 
theory  "  that  it  was  better  to  give  up  the  Colonies 

1  Alexander,  first  Lord  Ashburton,  had  been  President  of  the  Board 
of  Trade  in  the  brief  Peel  Administration  of  1834—5.  He  married 
Miss  Bingham  of  Philadelphia.     See  ante,  p.  199. 

a  David  William,  third  Earl  of  Mansfield  (1777-1840). 

8  Charles  William,  fifth  Earl  (1786-1857). 
1—19* 


278  PRINCESS   CHARLOTTE  [^x.is 

at  once  when  they  became  at  all  unquiet  ;  which 
Lord  Melbourne  observed  with  great  justice,  would 
be  just  the  way  to  encourage  them  to  revolt ;  for 
they  would  then  say,  "  Why,  we  have  nothing  to  do 
but  to  revolt  to  get  rid  of  our  masters."  And  "  a  very 
dangerous  thing  to  declare,"  Lord  Melbourne  ob- 
served. Spoke  a  long  time  about  all  this  ;  then 
about  George  IV.,  who  he  said  was  not  at  all  unhappy 
at  Princess  Charlotte's  death,  on  the  contrary,  he 
was  rather  glad  ;  spoke  of  her — of  Uncle  Leopold — 
her  happiness  with  him — her  death — that  she  might 
have  been  saved  if  she  had  not  been  so  much 
weakened.  I  was  delighted  to  see  Lord  Melbourne 
in  very  good  spirits,  and  very  talkative,  and  so 
agreeable  !  Spoke  of  many  things  ;  of  M.  de  Barante, 
the  French  Ambassador  at  St.  Petersburg  who  Lady 
Durham  said  she  knew,  as  also  his  daughter  who 
was  separated  from  her  husband  and  excited  pity  as 
he  was  known  or  supposed  to  have  beat  her.  Upon 
this  Lord  Melbourne  said  :  "  Why,  it  is  almost  worth 
while  for  a  woman  to  be  beat,  considering  the  ex- 
ceeding pity  she  excites,"  which  made  us  laugh. 
Spoke  of  the  dinner  next  day  at  the  Lord  Mayor's, 
which  Lord  Melbourne  said  was  called  a  private 
dinner  of  about  50  or  60  persons,  and  which  was 
generally  very  dull.  He  spoke  of  the  Duke  of  Wel- 
lington, and,  with  tears  in  his  eyes  at  the  Duke's 
friendliness  to  Lord  Durham,  about  Canada.  I 
asked  him  if  it  would  do  well  if  I  asked  Lord  and 
Lady  Francis  Egerton  *  the  same  day  as  the  Duke 
of  Wellington  dined  here  ;  he  replied  extremely  well, 
and  that  it  would  "  be  very  agreeable  to  both."  I 
told  him  that  I  was  very  thankful  to  him  when  he 

^  See  ante,  p.  261.     Lady  Francis  was  Harriet,  eldest  daughter  of 
Charles  Greville,  the  father  of  the  diarist. 


1838]  DUCHESS   OF   SUNDERLAND  279 

told  me  who  I  should  invite  ;  he  said,  "  I  am  afraid 
I  don't  attend  enough  to  that ;  I  am  rather  neglect- 
ful about  it,"  which  I  would  not  allow.  Spoke  about 
the  Emj)eror  of  Austria — the  Duchess  of  Sutherland 
— her  family  ;  Lord  Melbourne  said  she  was  natur- 
ally very  proud  ;  spoke  about  her  house '  ;  the  lease 
of  which  she  wishes  to  buy,  but  which  as  it  is  Crown 
property  Lord  Melbourne  said  she  could  not  do  ;  he 
dreaded  the  time  when  the  Duchess  should  learn 
she  could  not  do  so  ;  that  he  was  afraid  of  writing 
to  her  before  she  received  the  formal  answer  from 
the  Treasury  ;  I  told  him,  however,  it  would  be 
better  if  he  did  so,  upon  which  he  said  :  "  Then  it 
shall  be  done."  Spoke  of  Lady  Ashley — Lady  Hard- 
wicke  * — Lady  Fanny  ;  I  asked  him  how  she  came 
to  be  a  Tory — and  who  could  have  made  her  so.  He 
said,  "  Why,  I  think  her  Nurse  ;  people  generally 
get  their  ideas  in  that  way."  He  told  me  he  went 
to  Eton  when  he  was  nine  years  old ;  he  went  there 
at  Xmas  in  the  year  1788,  and  stayed  there  till  Mid- 
summer 1796.  Lord  Holland  left  Eton  about  3  months 
after  Lord  Melbourne  went  there.  He  spoke  most 
cleverly  and  sensibly  about  Public  Schools  ;  said  "  I 
am  not  at  all  bigotted  about  a  Public  School  "  ;  said 
he  was  very  happy  at  Eton  ;  spoke  of  the  many  dis- 
advantages and  dangers  of  a  Public  School ;  amongst 
which  he  mentioned  the  great  habit  of  telling  false- 
hoods which  boys  get  to  do  with  impunity  in  order 
to  save  themselves  from  punishment ;  and  the  dis- 
agreeable, bad,  blackguard  boys  you  were  obliged  to 

1  Stafford  House  was  built  by  the  Duke  of  York.  It  is  Crown 
property  vested  in  the  Commission  of  Woods  and  Forests.  The  present 
(1912)  Duke  of  Sutherland  obtained  an  extension  of  the  Crown  lease 
a  few  years  ago. 

2  Charles  Philip,  fourth  Earl  of  Hardwicke,  had  married  Susan, 
daughter  of  the  first  Lord  Ravensworth.     See  ante,  p.  84,  n. 


280  PUBLIC   SCHOOL   EDUCATION  [jet.  is 

meet  at  such  schools  ;  and  if  a  boy  is  weak,  the 
liability  of  being  led  and  governed  by  such  boys  ; 
Lady  Durham  likewise  entered  into  the  conversation, 
and  she  and  Lord  Melbourne  and  I  went  on  discuss- 
ing the  subject  for  some  time ;  Lady  Durham 
observed  that  it  was  a  constant  War  between  boy 
and  master  at  school,  which  however  Lord  Melbourne 
thought  the  same  with  a  Tutor  ;  we  all  agreed  that 
it  was  very  bad  that  no  French  was  taught  at  the 
Public  Schools,  for  that  boys  never  learnt  it  after- 
wards. Lady  Durham  said  that  Lord  Durham  had 
had  a  great  mind  that  their  boy  should  learn  no 
Latin  at  all,  which  however  Lord  Melbourne  said  he 
thought  was  a  bad  thing,  for  that  he  thought  a  man 
could  not  get  on  well  in  the  world  without  Latin  in 
the  present  state  of  society.^  I  told  Lord  Melbourne 
that  though  Lehzen  had  often  said  that  she  had 
never  seen  such  a  passionate  and  naughty  child  as  I 
was,  still  that  I  had  never  told  a  falsehood,  though  I 
knew  I  would  be  punished  ;  Lord  Melbourne  said  : 
"  That  is  a  fine  character "  ;  and  I  added  that 
Lehzen  entrusted  me  with  things  which  I  knew  she 
would  not  like  me  to  tell  again,  and  that  when  I  was 
ever  so  naughty,  I  never  threatened  to  tell,  or  ever 
did  tell  them.  Lord  Melbourne  observed  :  "  That 
is  a  fine  trait."  I  felt  quite  ashamed,  on  hearing  this 
praise,  that  I  had  said  so  much  about  myself.  I 
asked  him  if  his  sister's  children  had  not  been  pas- 
sionate when  little.  "  Minny  and  Fanny  were  dread- 
fully passionate,"  he  said,  "  and  now  they  have  both 
very  sweet  tempers  and  are  very  calm."  I  observed 
to  him  that  I  was  sure  he  had  never  been  so  ;  he 
answered,  "  dreadfully  passionate,  and  so  I  am  now," 
which  I  would  not  and  cannot  believe.  .  .  . 

^  Tempora  mviantur. 


1838]  EUTHANASIA  281 

Tuesday,  13ih  February. — Lord  M.  spoke  of  the  ap- 
parent cruelty,  when  a  person  is  dying  and  is  suffering 
dreadfully,  and  anything  to  hasten  the  end  would  be 
mercy  and  relief,  that  that  is  not  allowed,  and  is  con- 
sidered unjustifiable  by  law.  I  mentioned  to  Lord 
Melbourne  a  case  in  which  it  had  been  done  ;  he  told 
me  an  anecdote  of  Napoleon  respecting  this  ;  when  his 
great  favourite  and  friend  Duroc  was  so  frightfully 
wounded,  the  lower  part  of  his  body  being  carried 
away — Napoleon  came  to  him,  and  Duroc  implored 
him  to  give  him  laudanum  to  alleviate  his  sufferings 
and  hasten  his  end,  but  Napoleon  would  not  do  it, 
and  said  he  could  not  sanction  such  a  thing.  Lord 
Melbourne  observed,  "  If  they  get  the  habit  of  doing 
such  a  thing  "  (hastening  the  end)  "  when  a  person 
is  in  a  hopeless  state,  why,  they  may  do  it  when  a 
person  is  not  in  a  hopeless  state."  Spoke  of  Lord 
Leveson  ^  who  is  such  a  very  odd-looking  young 
man ;  Lord  Melbourne  said  that  Lady  Granville 
"  was  always  very  ugly,"  and  that  "  she  is  now 
better  looking  than  she  used  to  be."  Spoke  of  large 
dogs,  which  Lord  Melbourne  thinks  dangerous  pets, 
as  you  are  always  so  completely  at  their  mercy  if 
they  choose  to  do  you  harm.  Spoke  of  Lady  Lilford,^ 
Lord  and  Lady  Holland  ;  the  latter.  Lord  Mel- 
bourne says,  always  thinks  first  of  herself  and  then 
of  Lord  Holland,  who  quite  obeys  her.  I  asked  Lord 
Melbourne  if  Lord  Glenelg  was  at  all  obstinate  ;    he 

1  At  the  opening  of  the  Queen's  first  Parliament  in  1837  Lord 
Leveson  [afterwards  Lord  Granville  and  Foreign  Secretary]  had  moved 
in  the  House  of  Commons  the  address  in  reply  to  her  speech,  looking, 
wrote  Disraeli,  himself  also  a  new  member,  "  like  a  child."  Lord 
Leveson  was  twenty-two  years  old,  and  the  Queen  had  met  him  a 
few  years  earlier  at  Christ  Church.  See  ante,  p.  60.  His  mother,  Lady 
Granville,  was  Henrietta,  davighter  of  the  fifth  Diike  of  Devonshire. 

2  Lady  Lilford  was  a  daughter  of  Lord  and  Lady  Holland. 


282  WILLIAM   IV.'S   DISLIKES  [*t.  is 

said  not  now,  but  that  he  had  been,  and  had  given 
great  trouble  in  '30  or  '31,  when  he  alone  opposed  in 
the  Cabinet  £25,000  being  proposed  as  an  outfit  for 
the  Queen  Dowager  ;  and  that  Lord  Grey  had  been 
obliged  to  go  and  tell  the  King  that  he  could  not 
propose  it,  as  Lord  Glenelg  was  so  much  against  it ; 
Lord  Melbourne  said  that  neither  the  King  or  Queen 
ever  forgave  this  and  that  the  King  could  not  hear 
Lord  Glenelg ;  he  could  neither  bear  Lord  John 
Russell,  who.  Lord  Melbourne  said,  he  always  called 
"  that  young  man  "  ;  he  also  disliked  Sir  John  Hob- 
house,  and  Mr.  Poulett  Thomson,  and  latterly  Lord 
Palmerston,  thougii  m  the  beginning  he  liked  him 
very  much  ;  Mr.  S.  Rice  he  liked  pretty  well ;  the 
Lord  Chancellor  ^  very  much,  and  always  told  Lord 
Melbourne  that  the  Lord  Chancellor  was  "  a  kind 
good  man  "  ;  Lord  Dunraven  ^  thought  the  King 
liked  him  (Ld.  D.),  but  Lord  Melbourne  said  he 
thought  the  King  disliked  him  "  at  bottom,"  though 
he  was  confidential  with  him.  I  asked  Lord  Mel- 
bourne if  he  did  not  see  the  King  often  ?  Lord 
Melbourne  replied  not  often,  and  never  at  Windsor 
latterly  ;  that  he  was  always  very  civil  to  him, 
though  not  very  open,  and  always  very  short.  He 
said  (that  by  the  paper  which  Taylor  wrote  and 
gave  me,  and  which  Lord  Melbourne  has  read)  that 
the  King  had  intended,  in  case  the  Ministry  had 
resigned  (which  Lord  Melbourne  said  they  had  de- 
clared they  would,  about  the  Irish  Corporation  Bill) 
to  send  a  paper  round  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington, 

^  Charles  Christopher,  first  Lord  Cottenham.  On  Lord  Melbourne 
forming  his  second  Ministry,  the  Great  Seal  was  not  offered  to 
Broiigham,  but  at  first  put  into  Commission.  Pepys,  Master  of  the 
Rolls,  was  one  of  the  Commissioners,  and  became  a  little  later  Chan- 
cellor. 

«  William  Henry,  second  Earl  of  Dunraven  (1782-1850). 


1838]  THE   BALLOT   QUESTION  283 

Sir  Robert  Peel  and  Lord  Melbourne  calling  upon 
them  to  form  a  Ministry.  Lord  Melbourne  added  : 
"  He  "  (the  late  King)  "  was  not  at  all  a  clever  man  ; 
he  was  a  very  timid  man  ;  very  easily  frightened  ; 
in  fact  he  was  quite  in  Taylor's  hands  ;  Taylor  could 
turn  him  any  way."  This  I  observed  was  a  wrong 
thing  ;  Lord  Melbourne  said  certainly  it  was,  "  but 
considering  the  King's  character,  and  how  difficult 
it  was  for  him  to  take  a  resolution,  one  cannot  say  it 
was  an  unfortunate  thing."  I  observed  that  Taylor 
turned  the  King  to  the  Tory  side  ;  Lord  Melbourne 
said  :  "  The  Tories  don't  at  all  consider  Taylor  a 
friend."  I  spoke  of  the  unfortunate  day  in  August 
'36,  when  the  King  came  to  Windsor  (after  having 
prorogued  Parliament)  in  a  great  passion.  Lord 
Melbourne  said  this  was  caused  by  the  King  having 
set  his  mind  upon  having  a  Marine  executed  who 
was  recommended  to  mercy  ;  Lord  Minto  (whom 
the  King  neither  liked)  came  to  Lord  Melbourne  in 
great  distress  and  said  :  "  The  King  will  have  this 
man  hanged."  The  King  hated  the  Speaker,  and 
told  Lord  Melbourne  that  all  the  time  the  Speaker 
was  addressing  him  in  the  House  of  Lords:  "Shock- 
ing voice  he  has." 

Wednesday,  lUh  February. — Lord  M.  told  me  that 
Lord  John  had  written  to  him  that  he  would  be  un- 
able to  attend  the  House  of  Commons  next  day, 
when  this  anxious  Ballot  Question  comes  on.  Lord 
Melbourne  said  he  did  not  think  it  quite  a  bad  thing 
that  Lord  John  would  be  away  when  this  Ballot 
Question  came  on,  as  he  thinks  there  will  be  less 
irritation  if  he  is  absent,  and  as  Lord  John  is  unwell 
and  "  worried  about  the  child,"  Lord  Melbourne 
observed  he  "  might  say  something  imprudent."  I 
think  this  all  very  true.     Lord  Melbourne  was  very 


284  ANECDOTE   OF   GEORGE   IV.  [^.i8 

funny  about  caps  and  bonnets  ;  he  looked  round 
the  table  and  said,  "  There  is  an  amazing  cargo  of 
bonnets  and  things  come  from  Paris,  I  fancy," 
which  made  us  laugh  ;  and  he  observed  Lady  Caro- 
line's hat  and  said  he  imagined  that  was  something 
quite  new.  He  spoke  of  Mdlle.  Laure  ;  we  (Lady 
Durham  and  I)  laughed  very  much  and  asked  him 
how  he  knew  about  her  ;  "  They  tell  me  of  her," 
he  added,  "  and  I  fancy  she  has  beautiful  things." 
The  Duke  of  Wellington  was  in  very  good  spirits, 
but  it  strikes  me  he  is  a  good  deal  aged,  particularly 
in  appearance.  Lady  Francis  Egerton '  is  a  clever, 
agreeable  little  person  ;  and,  though  much  altered, 
is  still  very  pretty.  I  sat  on  the  sofa  with  Lady 
Francis  and  Lady  Durham  '  ;  Lord  Melbourne  sit- 
ting near  me  the  whole  evening  ;  and  Lord  Francis 
not  far  from  him  ;  the  other  ladies  were  seated 
round  the  table.  We  (Lord  Melbourne,  Lord  Francis 
and  I)  spoke  about  German  literature — the  weather 
— fires,  the  fire  at  Paris,  &c.,  &c.  Lord  Francis  is 
rather  a  silent  person  and  it  is  not  easy  de  le  mettre 
en  train  de  parler.  I  asked  Lord  Melbourne  what 
the  Duke  of  Wellington  had  told  him  that  made 
him  (Ld.  M.)  laugh  so  much  ;  Lord  Melbourne  then 
told  me  the  following  anecdote  of  George  IV.,  which 
caused  the  laughter.  When  George  IV.  returned 
from  Ireland,  he  was  very  sick  and  suffered  a  good 
deal ;  and  he  stopped  and  rested  at  Badminton  ; 
upon  this  the  Judge,  who  was  sitting  at  the  Assizes 
at  Gloucester,  imagined  that  he  could  not  have  a 
man  executed   when  the  King  was  in  the  County 

1  See  ante,  p.  278. 

*  She  was  Louisa  Elizabeth,  daioghter  of  Lord  Grey  the  ex-Premier, 
mother  of  the  "  Master  Lambton  "  of  Lawrence's  portrait,  who  died, 
aged  fovirteen,  and  gi'andmother  of  the  present  Earl  of  Durham,  K.G. 


1838]  CONCERNING   CHILDREN  285 

without  asking  him  about  it,  came  over  to  Badminton 
and  wished  the  King  to  hear  the  case,  which  put 
the  King  into  the  greatest  passion  and  he  exclaimed, 
"  What !  am  I  to  be  followed  all  over  the  country 
with  the  Recorder's  report  ?  "  .  .  .  Spoke  to  Lord 
Melbourne  about  Lord  John's  child,  and  the  anxiety 
of  having  one  child  only.  I  observed  to  him  how- 
ever that  I  did  not  think  having  more  than  one 
child  lessened  the  anxiety  about  them  ;  for  if  per- 
sons loved  their  children,  they  would  be  just  as 
anxious  if  one  of  the  many  was  ill,  and  would  feel 
the  loss  of  one  as  much  as  if  he  or  she  had  but  that 
one.  Lord  Melbourne  said  he  thought  quite  so  too  ; 
but  that  somehow  or  other  "  if  there  are  many, 
they  have  seldom  anything  the  matter  with  them." 
He  added  "  it  is  not  the  right  affection  for  a  child,  if 
they  love  them  only  as  being  their  heir,  or  for  keeping 
up  their  name."  He  said  he  was  going  home  after 
he  had  left  the  Palace,  as  he  had  a  great  deal  to  do. 
He  thinks  his  sister  had  better  go  out  of  town,  as 
she  is  not  well,  and  out  of  spirits  since  she  is  in  Lon- 
don. I  spoke  of  sons-in-law  and  daughters-in-law 
and  observed  that  I  thought  daughters-in-law  seldom 
got  on  well  with  their  mothers-in-law,  in  which  Lord 
Melbourne  quite  agreed  ;  whereas  the  sons-in-law 
they  generally  were  fond  of.  I  asked  him  how  his 
sister  agreed  with  the  young  Lady  Cowper.  "  Pretty 
well,"  he  replied,  "  but  I  don't  think  she  forms  any 
exception  to  the  rule."  Lady  Ashley  and  Lady 
Fanny,  he  said,  liked  their  sister-in-law,  but  had  also 
a  certain  feeling  about  it ;  "  they  don't  like  to  see 
her  in  the  same  place  where  they  used  to  see  their 
mother."  Spoke  of  the  very  strange  custom  in 
Russia  that  on  Easter  Sunday  everybody  who  chooses 
is  allowed  to  kiss  the  Empress,  saying  at  the  same 


286  A   LEVEE  [jet.  is 

time  "  Christ  is  risen."  Lord  Melbourne  told  me  an 
anecdote  of  the  Emperor  of  Russia.  "  He  said  to  a 
sentinel,  '  Christ  is  risen,'  and  the  man  answered,  '  No, 
he  is  not ' ;  the  Emperor  started  and  repeated, '  Christ 
is  risen ' ;  the  man  again  said,  '  No,  he  is  not,  for  I 
am  a  Jew.'  The  Emperor  said,  '  You  are  quite 
right.'  "  I  was  quite  happy  to  see  the  very  amicable 
and  friendly  terms  on  which  the  Duke  and  my  ex- 
cellent friend  were  ;  it  is  impossible  for  Lord  Mel- 
bourne to  be  otherwise  almost  with  anybody,  and 
the  Duke  having  behaved  very  well  lately,  and  being 
likewise  an  open,  frank  man,  it  renders  it  easy  for 
them  to  be  so.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  15th  February. — I  sat  on  the  sofa  with 
the  Duchess  of  Sutherland,  the  Duke  of  Sutherland 
and  Lord  Durham  sitting  near  us.  Lord  Durham 
spoke  of  the  King  of  Greece  ^  ;  says  he  is  remarkably 
plain  and  mean-looking,  very  shy  and  awkward  in 
society,  and  en  fin  unable  to  do  anything.  The  Sultan,^ 
whom  he  also  saw,  he  describes  as  a  fine-looking 
but  not  "  thorough-bred  "  looking  man  ;  short  and 
dark,  with  an  expression  of  treachery  in  his  eyes.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  21st  February. — At  about  a  J  p.  2  I 
went  into  the  Throne  room  for  the  Levee  with  my 
Ladies  &c.,  and  all  the  Household  and  the  Ministers 
being  in  the  room.  The  only  person  who  I  was  very 
anxious  to  see  and  whom  I  was  much  interested  to 
have  seen,  was  O'Connell,  who  was  presented,  and 
of  course,  as  everybody  does  when  they  are  presented, 
kissed  hands.     He  was  in  a  full  wig  as  one  of  the 

*  King  Otho  had  accepted  the  throne  of  Greece  in  October  1832, 
and  ascended  it  three  months  later.  This  was  done  in  virtue  of  a  re- 
quest from  Greece  to  Great  Britain,  France,  and  Russia. 

*  Mahmud  II.,  Sultan  (1808-39),  succeeded  in  the  latter  year  by 
Abdul-Medjid. 


1838]  A   QUESTION   OF   PENSIONS  287 

Queen's  Councillors  in  Ireland,  and  not  in  the  brown 
Brutus  wig  he  generally  wears.  He  is  very  tall, 
rather  large,  has  a  remarkably  good-humoured 
countenance,  small  features,  small  clever  blue  eyes, 
and  very  like  his  caricatures  ;  there  were  likewise 
two  of  his  sons,  Morgan  and  John  O'Connell ;  his  son- 
in-law,  Mr.  Fitzsimon,  and  his  nephew  John  Morgan 
O'Connell.  Lord  Melbourne  told  me  that  one  of  mv 
pensioners,  a  Sir  John  Lade,^  one  of  George  IV.'s 
associates,  was  dead  ;  spoke  of  him,  of  another  called 
George  Lee  ;  of  old  Mrs.  Fox,  who  Lord  Melbourne 
knew  formerly  ;  he  said  of  Mr.  Fox,  "  he  took  great 
notice  of  me."  Mr.  Fox  died  on  the  13th  of  September 
1806.  Spoke  of  Nelson,  &c.,  &c.  He  spoke  of  the 
Committee  on  the  Pensions  which  was  going  on  ; 
that  it  was  a  very  fair  Committee,  and  that  there 
had  only  been  a  difficulty  about  one  case,  which  was 
a  curious  one,  and  which  is  a  pension  given  to  two 
French  ladies,  Madame  de  Rohan  and  Madame  de 
Longueville,  daughters  of  the  Due  de  Biron.  Lord 
Melbourne  told  me  how  they  came  to  get  it,  which 
is  as  follows,  and  in  telling  which  he  became  quite 
affected  and  his  eyes  filled  with  tears.  When  Lord 
Rodney  went  to  Paris  just  before  he  obtained  his 
great  victory,  he  was  arrested  for  debt,  as  (Lord 
Melbourne  said)  he  was  always  without  a  shilling  in 
the  world  ;  and  the  Due  de  Biron  said,  "  Though  we 
are  enemies,  still  it  is  too  bad  that  a  great  English 
officer  should  be  arrested  for  debt  here,"  and  he  paid 
his  debts  for  him.  Afterwards  when  the  Due  de 
Biron's  daughters,  Mmes.  de  Rohan  and  Longue- 
ville, who  are  the  first  nobility  in  France,  got  into 
distress,   they   sent  a   statement  to   George   III.   of 

^  Of   some   fame,  but   little   merit.      He    managed    the   stables   of 
George  IV.,  when  Prince  of  Wales. 


288  COURT   ETIQUETTE  [^t.i8 

what  their  father  had  done  for  Lord  Rodney,  and 
George  III.  gave  them  a  pension.  Spoke  of  O'Con- 
nell,  and  George  IV.,  to  whose  Levee  in  DubHn  he 
(O'Connell)  went ;  Lord  Melbourne  said  that  O'Con- 
nell  declared  he  heard  George  IV.  distinctly  say 
(when  he  passed)  to  some  one,  "  God  damn  him." 
Lord  Melbourne  said  that  George  IV.  was  in  a  very 
awkward  position  when  he  was  in  Ireland,  for  that 
the  whole  country  was  in  a  ferment  of  enthusiasm 
believing  the  King  to  be  for  the  Catholic  Emancipa- 
tion, whereas  in  his  heart  he  was  against  it.  I  said 
to  Lord  Melbourne  that  there  was  rather  a  disagree- 
able business  about  Lord  Durham's  wishing  me  to 

receive  Lady  at  Court,  which,  if  she  had  been 

refused  at  the  late  Court,  it  would,  I  feared,  be  im- 
possible for  me  to  do.  Lord  Melbourne  said,  "  It 
will  not  do  for  you  to  reverse  a  sentence  passed  by 
the  late  Court  in  the  beginning  of  your  reign  ;  I 
quite  agree  with  you  that  you  cannot  do  this."  He 
said  that  in  general  with  respect  to  receiving  people 
it  was  better  to  go  according  to  w^hat  had  been 
determined  by  a  Court  of  Justice  and  if  there  was 
nothing  against  them  there,  to  receive  them  and  not 
to  inquire  into  what  their  early  lives  had  been.^  .  .  . 
Friday,  2Srd  February. — I  lamented  my  being  so 
short,  which  Lord  M.  smiled  at  and  thought  no  mis- 
fortune. Spoke  to  him  of  the  Levee,  the  place  where 
I  stood  which  some  people  objected  to,  which  led  him 
to  speak  of  the  old  Court  in  the  time  of  George  III., 
when  a  Levee  and  also  a  Drawing-room  was  like  an 

*  This  rule  w£is  followed  with  invariable  and  prudent  strictness  by 
the  Queen  throughout  her  reign.  She  was  never  swayed  in  action  by 
gossip,  however  subtle  or  ill-natured — she  required  proof  ;  and  this  rule 
governed  her  decision  in  regard  to  disputes  as  to  the  eligibility  of  all 
persons  to  be  invited  to  Court. 


1838]  LORD    HOWE  289 

Assembly  ;  the  King  and  Queen  used  to  come  into 
the  room  where  the  people  were  already  assembled, 
and  to  walk  round  and  speak  to  the  people  ;  they 
did  not  speak  to  everybody,  and  it  was  considered 
no  offence,  he  said,  if  they  did  not.  He  said  Queen 
Charlotte  spoke  English  with  a  little  accent,  but 
that  it  was  rather  pretty.  I  asked  him  when  he  first 
went  to  Court ;  he  said  in  the  year  1803,  he  thought ; 
it  was  at  the  time  when  everybody  volunteered  their 
services  and  when  he  was  in  a  Volunteer  Corps. 
Spoke  of  Lord  Howe,  his  remaining  about  the  Queen  ^ ; 
and  when  he  was  made  to  resign.  Lord  Melbourne 
said  he  (Ld.  H.)  seldom  voted  but  that  when  he 
voted  against  the  Reform  Bill,  Lord  Grey  was  urged 
by  an  outcry  from  "  his  people  "  to  press  his  (Ld. 
Howe's)  removal,  which  Lord  Melbourne  said  was 
very  unwise ;  Lord  Grey  went  down  to  Windsor, 
and  told  the  King  of  it,  which  alarmed  the  King  a 
good  deal ;  they  (the  King  and  Lord  Grey)  dis- 
cussed with  Taylor  how  it  should  be  done  ;  Lord 
Grey  proposed  his  seeing  the  Queen  upon  it,  which 
Taylor  said  never  would  do,  and  that  the  only  way 
was  to  send  for  Lord  Howe  and  make  him  resign, 
which  he  (Ld.  H.)  said  he  would  do.  Lord  Mel- 
bourne said  that  the  Queen  had  just  come  home 
from  riding  and  was  half  undressed  when  Lord  Howe 
sent  to  say  he  must  see  the  Queen  ;  she  said  she 
would  see  him  when  she  was  dressed  ;  whereupon 
Lord  Howe  sent  again  to  her  saying  the  affair  was 
so  urgent  that  he  must  see  her  immediately  ;  she 
buttoned  up  her  habit  again  and  saw  him  ;  he  gave 
her  the  key  and  said  he  must  resign,  which  Lord 
Melbourne   said   made   the   Queen   very   angry   and 

1  Lord  Howe's  attitude  was  one  of  hostility  to  the  Government. 
See  ante,  p.  113. 
1—20 


290  THE    QUESTION    OF    MARRIAGE  [^t.is 

rendered  her  still  more  hostile  to  Lord  Grey's  Govern- 
ment than  she  already  was.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  27th  February. — I  said  to  Lord  Melbourne 
that  Uncle  Leopold  was  amazingly  frightened  when 
the  Prince  of  Orange  came  over  with  his  sons,  as  he 
always  imagined  that  the  late  King  had  some  in- 
tentions about  that ;  (meaning  a  marriage  between 
me  and  one  of  the  young  Princes.)  "  And  so  he 
had,"  said  Lord  Melbourne  decidedly.  "  He  sounded 
me  about  it,"  and  Lord  Melbourne  wrote  to  him 
(the  late  King)  to  say  that  in  a  political  point  of 
view,  he  did  not  think  it  a  desirable  thing  ;  that  the 
country  would  not  like  a  connection  with  Holland  ; 
the  King  was  much  disappointed  at  this,  Lord  Mel- 
bourne said  ;  he  (the  King)  had  always  a  fear  about 
a  marriage  ;  he  was  afraid  Mamma  had  intentions, 
which  I  observed  she  certainly  had  ;  and  that  the 
King  therefore  thought  "  he  must  devancer  her  "  ;  that 
Lord  Melbourne  told  him,  if  he  wished  such  a  thing 
he  had  better  be  sure  first  if  the  Parties  themselves 
liked  it ;  for  that  he  never  could  force  such  a  thing  ; 
of  which  Lord  Melbourne  said  the  King  never  seemed 
sensible  ;  at  which  I  laughed.  He  said  that  the 
Prince  of  Orange  also  came  to  him  (Ld.  M.)  from  the 
King,  and  asked  him  if  he  or  the  Government  had 
any  objection  to  such  a  connection.  "  Personally," 
Lord  Melbourne  said  to  him,  "  there  could  be  no 
objection  ;  no  more  than  to  any  other  Prince  in 
Europe  "  ;  but  at  the  same  time  he  must  tell  him 
that  his  (the  Prince's)  country  was  so  situated  that 
it  would  be  constantly  involved  in  war  if  any  war  was 
to  break  out  ;  "  I  told  him  as  much  as  that,"  Lord 
Melbourne  said,  "  and  that  I  could  not  say  anything 
until  we  saw  it  in  some  sort  of  shape  or  other."  This 
was  all  very  curious  and  interesting  for  me  to  hear. 


'*jps 


INTRODUCTORY    NOTE    TO    CHAPTER    IX 

The  early  months  of  the  year  1838  found  Lord  Melbourne's  Govern- 
ment in  considerable  diffieulties.  For  legislative  purposes  the 
Parliamentary  majority  was  impotent.  It  was  just  able  to  keep 
the  Ministry  afloat.  "  The  Queen,"  wrote  Lord  Palmerston,  "  is 
as  steady  to  us  as  ever,  and  was  in  the  depth  of  despair  when 
she  thought  we  were  in  danger  of  being  turned  out." 

This  was  a  year  of  grave  trouble  in  Canada,  but,  as  it  turned  out, 
a  year  full  of  promise  for  the  subsequent  welfare  of  that  great 
Dominion,  and  for  her  connection  with  the  Mother-country.  The 
Queen  was  imdoubtedly  attracted  by  Lord  Durham,  the  Governor- 
General,  who,  although  impulsive  and  impatient  of  restraint, 
possessed  charms  of  manner  and  appearance,  together  with  intel- 
lectual gifts,  which  rendered  his  personality  agreeable  to  those 
with  whom  he  was  brought  in  contact.  The  Queen  showed  great 
kindness  to  him  and  Lady  Durham  before  their  departure  for 
Canada.  She  regretted  his  return,  and  was  grieved  by  the  quarrel 
between  him  and  her  Ministers. 

Although  during  this  year  the  Queen  was  in  the  habit  of  taking 
long  rides  into  the  country,  which  were  found  to  be  very  beneficial 
to  her  health,  she  worked  hard,  and  she  laboriously  read,  under 
Lord  Melbourne's  guidance,  masses  of  despatches  and  corre- 
spondence. At  no  time  during  her  reign  was  she  more  persistent 
in  following  the  course  of  public  business. 

She  was  now  brought  a  good  deal  into  contact  with  Lord 
Palmerston,  and  was  undoubtedly  attracted  by  his  great  gifts, 
although  at  a  later  period  of  her  reign  his  administrative  methods 
and  high-handed  independence  occasioned  her  much  anxiety  and 
led  to  strong  remonstrance. 

In  the  month  of  April,  King  Leopold  was  engaged  in  suggesting 
to  the  Queen  the  possibility  of  a  union  between  her  and  Prince 
Albert  of  Saxe-Coburg.  He  wrote  constantly  to  her  upon  this 
topic,  laying  stress  upon  the  young  Prince's  goodness  and  dis- 
tinction, and  upon  his  great  anxiety  to  see  his  intellectual  and 
moral  training  perfected  under  the  auspices  of  Baron  Stockmar. 

In  the  course  of  the  spring  the  preparations  for  the  Queen's 
Coronation  were  commenced,  and  she  took  keen  interest  in  the 
detail  of  that  ceremonial.  It  was  a  somewhat  delicate  matter  to 
avoid  having  to  invite  her  Uncle  King  Leopold  and  Queen  Louise, 
but  a  hint  having  been  dropped  to  the  King  of  the  Belgians,  he 
speedily  realised  that  the  custom  of  not  including  crowned  heads  in 
the  invitations  to  a  Coronation  was  sound  and  worth  preserving. 
"  On  mature  reflection,"  he  wrote,  "  I  think  that  a  King  and  Queen 
at  your  dear  Coronation  might  perhaps  be  a  hors  d'ceuvre/^  To 
this  view  the  Queen  graciously  assented. 

291 


CHAPTER    IX 
1838 

Tuesday,  6th  March. — It  was  Mr.  Bulwer's  play  of 
The  Lady  of  Lyons  ;  and  we  came  in  very  soon  after 
the  beginning.  I  think  the  play  acts  well,  and  I 
like  it.  Macready  acted  well  as  Claude  Melnotte, 
Bartley  ^  was  very  good  as  Damas  ;  and  Meadows  ^ 
as  Glavis.  Mr.  Elton  ^  acted  fairly  enough  as  the 
wicked  Beauseant. 

Wednesday,  7th  March. — Dressed  for  riding.  At  a 
few  m.  p.  12  I  rode  out  with  Lord  Conyngham,  Lord 
Uxbridge,  dear  Lehzen,  Miss  Cavendish,  Col.  Caven- 
dish, and  Sir  G.  Quentin  and  Mr.  Fozard.  I 
mounted  in  the  garden  just  imder  the  terrace  in  order 
that  nobody  should  know  I  was  going  to  ride  out. 
I  rode  my  dear  favourite  Tartar  who  went  perfectly 
and  most  delightfully,  never  shying,  never  starting 
through  all  the  very  noisy  streets,  rattling  omnibuses 
— carts — carriages,  &c.,  &c.  I  quite  love  him.  We 
rode  out  through  the  garden,  through  the  gate  on 
Constitution  Hill ;  round  the  park  by  the  water,  out 
at  the  new  gate,  by  Lord  Hill's  former  villa,  a  good 

^  George  Bartley  (died  in  1858),  a  Shakespearean  actor  who  could 
play  Orlando  as  well  as  Falstaff.  For  a  time  stage-manager  at 
Covent  Garden. 

2  Drinkwater  Meadows  (1799-1869),  an  excellent  performer  in 
comedy  of  the  more  eccentric  type. 

3  Edgar  William  Elton  (1794-1843)  created  this  part  of  Beauseant  ; 
he  also  played  Romeo,  and  (with  much  success)  Edgar  in  Lear. 

292 


1838]  CANADIAN    PRISONERS  298 

way  on  the  Harrow  Road,  I  should  say  within  4  or 
5  miles  of  Harrow — then  down  a  pretty  narrow  lane 
where  one  could  fancy  oneself  2  or  300  miles  from 
London,  out  by  Willesden  Field  (where  I  had  never 
been),  and  Kilburn,  down  the  Edgware  Road — Con- 
naught  Place,  through  omnibuses,  carts,  &c.,  &c.,  in 
at  Cumberland  Gate,  galloped  up  to  Hyde  Park 
Corner — and  in  at  the  same  garden  gate  at  Constitu- 
tion Hill,  and  safely  to  the  Palace  at  10  m.  to  3.  It 
was  a  lovely  day,  a  beautiful  and  delicious  ride,  and 
I  have  come  home  quite  charmed  and  delighted.  I 
rode  between  Lord  Conyngham  and  Col.  Cavendish 
the  whole  way.  Dearest  Lehzen  rode  Rosa  and 
felt  all  the  better  for  the  ride.  Wrote  my  journal. 
Signed.  Walked  about.  At  J  p.  4  came  my  kind 
and  excellent  Lord  Melbourne  and  stayed  with  me 
till  20  m.  p.  5.  He  spoke  to  me  about  my  ride  ; 
said  he  had  just  come  from  the  Cabinet,  which  was 
about  these  Canadian  prisoners  ^ ;  viz.  what  is  to  be 
done  with  them  ;  the  revolt  being  put  down  they 
cannot  be  tried  by  Martial  Law,  and  there  is  great 
difficulty  as  to  what  is  to  be  done  with  them.  I 
said  to  Lord  Melbourne  I  hoped  he  was  not  tired 
from  last  night ;  he  said  not  at  all.  He  said  :  "I 
am  not  quite  so  sure  of  to-night ;  I  think  we  shall 
carry  it,  but  you  must  not  be  surprised  if  it  should  be 
the  other  way."  I  coloured  very  much  at  this 
honest,  frank  avowal  of  our  fears,  from  this  best  and 
kindest  of  friends  ;  and  tears  were  nearer  than  words 
to  me  at  that  moment.  .  .  . 

^  The  disposal  of  these  prisoners  was  a  difficult  matter  which  be- 
came acute  in  the  interregnum  between  the  departure  of  Lord  Gosford 
and  the  arrival  of  Lord  Durham.  Sir  John  Colborne  postponed  a 
decision  of  the  matter,  and  ultimately  the  prisoners  were  dealt  with 
according  to  the  gravity  of  the  case,  some  being  merely  bound  over, 
others  deported  to  Bermuda. 

1—20* 


294  JAMAICAN    SLAVERY  [^t.  is 

Tuesday,  ISth  March. — I  asked  Lord  Melbourne 
what  was  to  take  place  concerning  Slavery  to-night/ 
Lord  Melbourne  then  pulled  out  of  his  pocket  the 
Bill  or  Act  which  is  to  be  read  to-night ;  he  read  to 
me  the  principal  Heads  of  it  explaining  to  me  each 
part  in  the  most  clear  and  agreeable  manner  possible. 
I  shall  not  have  time  or  space  to  explain  or  name  each 
head  here,  but  before  I  do  any,  I  must  just  observe 
that  the  necessity  of  this  Act  shows  how  shockingly 
cruel  and  cheating  the  Masters  of  the  Slaves  are, 
attempting  to  evade  in  every  possible  way  what  they 
are  told  to  do,  and  what,  as  the  Laws  cannot  be  en- 
forced on  the  spot,  must  be  done  by  an  Act  of  Parlia- 
ment here. 

Wednesday,  lUh  March. —  ...  I  asked  Lord  Mel- 
bourne how  he  liked  my  dress.  He  said  he  thought 
it  "  very  pretty  "  and  that  "  it  did  very  well."  He 
is  so  natural  and  funny  and  nice  about  toilette  and 
has  a  very  good  taste  I  think.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  17th  March. — Spoke  of  the  Cabinet,  which 
was  just  over  ;  he  said  that  they  had  been  speaking 
about  the  Coronation  in  the  Cabinet ;  and  they  all 
thought  that  it  would  be  best  to  have  it  about  the 
25th  or  26th  of  June,  as  it  would  end  the  Parliament 
well  and  make  a  good  break  ;  that  it  would  be  best 
to  have  it  like  William  IV. 's,  which  would  be  less 
long.     I  of  course  agreed  to  this.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  21st  March. — Heard  from  Lord  Mel- 

^  Great  complaints  were  being  made  of  the  cruelty  of  the  Jamaica 
planters  to  their  negro  apprentices,  and  Brougham  had  put  himself  at 
the  head  of  an  agitation  in  favour  of  immediate  emancipation.  Ac- 
cordingly the  Govermnent  introduced  a  Bill  regulating  the  hours  of 
labour,  erecting  arbitration  tribvmals  for  appraismg  the  value  of 
apprentices  desiring  a  discharge,  and  forbidding  the  whipping  or 
cutting  the  hair  of  female  apprentices,  or  their  being  placed  on  a 
treadmill,  or  in  the  chair  of  a  penal  gang. 


1838]  AN    INVESTITURE  295 

bourne  that  "  the  House  sat  till  J  past  eleven  last 
night.  Lord  Stanhope  made  a  long  declamatory 
speech,  very  violent,  but  having  in  it  nothing  defined 
or  specific,  and  was  answered  by  Lord  Brougham  in 
a  most  able  and  triumphant  defence  and  mainten- 
ance of  the  late  Act  for  amending  the  laws  for  the 
relief  of  the  Poor.  Lord  Melbourne  was  very  sorry 
to  be  prevented  from  waiting  upon  Your  Majesty. 
He  is  very  grateful  for  Your  Majesty's  enquiries  and 
feels  very  well  this  morning."  .  .  .  Spoke  of  Portu- 
gal ;  Lord  Melbourne  was  very  much  pleased  with 
the  good  news,  and  with  the  Queen's  conduct.^  I 
then  saw  Lord  Palmerston,  who  was  in  high  spirits 
at  the  good  news  from  Portugal.  The  Levee  Avas 
over  at  3.  I  then  went  for  a  moment  to  the  dressing- 
room  to  ease  my  head,  as  my  diadem  (which  Lord 
Melbourne  thought  "  very  handsome  ")  hurt  me  so 
dreadfully.  After  this  I  invested  (in  the  Closet)  the 
Marquis  of  Breadalbane  *  with  the  Order  of  the 
Thistle  ;  Sir  Thomas  Bradford '  with  the  Grand 
Cross  of  the  Bath  ;  and  Lord  Burghersh  ^  and  General 
Donald  McLeod  were  made  Knights  Commanders  of 
the  Order  of  the  Bath.     My  Ladies,  my  whole  House- 

1  Street  riots  had  broken  out  at  Lisbon,  but  the  Queen  behaved 
with  great  courage,  and,  after  Costa  Cabral  had  been  installed  as  Civil 
Governor  of  the  city,  the  insurgent  forces  were  dispersed.  The 
occurrence  of  Donna  Maria's  nineteenth  birthday  on  4tli  April  was 
marked  by  an  amnesty,  purporting  to  blot  out  the  revolutionary  actions 
of  the  last  eighteen  months. 

2  John,  second  Marquess  and  fifth  Earl  of  Breadalbane,  F.R.S. 
(1796-1862). 

*  A  distinguished  Peninsular  officer,  who  had  commanded  the 
Portuguese  division  at  Vittoria  ;  Conmaander-in-chief  at  Bombay 
1825-9. 

*  John,  afterwards  eleventh  Earl  of  Westmorland,  son  of  John, 
tenth  Earl  and  Sarah  Anne  his  wife,  only  daughter  and  heir  of  Robert 
Child  of  Osterley  Park.  His  sister.  Lady  Jersey  (who  died  in  1867), 
succeeded  to  the  banker's  great  fortune.     See  ante,  p.  149. 


296  PROMOTION    COMMISSION  [^x.is 

hold  and  all  the  Ministers  were  present  at  this  cere- 
mony. 

Thursday,  22nd  March. — Lord  Melbourne  said  he 
had  been  to  see  the  Duke  of  Wellington  this  morning 
about  asking  him  to  be  at  the  head  of  a  Commission 
to  be  appointed  to  inquire  into  the  promotions  in 
the  Army  and  in  the  Marines,  which  were  so  very 
slow  in  the  time  of  peace  and  about  which  they  were 
being  attacked  in  the  House  of  Commons.  Lord 
Melbourne  said  the  Duke  had  consented  to  it ;  and 
that  his  being  at  the  head  of  it  "  will  give  it 
authority  "  ;  the  Duke  wished  to  know  who  was  to 
be  in  the  Commission  ;  Lord  Melbourne  named  them  to 
him  and  he  was  very  well  satisfied  with  them.  Lord 
Melbourne  told  me  some  of  them,  which  are :  Lord 
Hill,  Sir  Hussey  Vivian,  Sir  Alexander  Dickson,^  Sir 
Thomas  Hardy,^  the  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty,^ 
and  the  Secretary  at  War.^  Lord  Melbourne  said, 
with  the  tears  in  his  eyes  (kind,  excellent  man), 
that  the  Duke  was  in  very  good  humour,  and  "  a 
very  pleasant  man  to  do  business  with,  I  think  ; 
he  is  so  plain  and  speaks  to  the  point."  The  Duke 
had  been  reviewing  the  Battalions  which  are  going 
to  Canada,  and  praised  them  very  much,  and  said 
"  particularly  my  regiment."  The  Duke  said  that 
Lord  Brougham's  speech  on  the  Poor  Laws  was  the 
]  best  he  ever  heard  him  make.  I  told  Lord  Melbourne 
I  that  Diet  was  the  best  physician  for  him  ;    he  said 

1  Major-General  Sir  A.  Dickson,  R.A.,  had  been  Superintendent  of 
Artillery  Operations  in  the  Peninsula,  and  fought  at  Waterloo,  and  was 
Director-General  of  the  Field-train  Department. 

2  Vice- Admiral  Sir  Thomas  Hardy  (1769-1839),  Captain  of  the 
Victory  at  Trafalgar.  In  1830  he  was  First  Sea  Lord,  and,  later, 
Governor  of  Greenwich  Hospital,  a  post  he  was  holding  at  this  time. 

3  Lord  Minto.     See  a?ite,  p.  200. 

*  Lord  Howick.     See  ante,  p.  200. 


1838]  "THE    QUEEN    DOWAGER"  297 

laughing,  he  drank  too  much  champagne,  and  I 
added,  mixed  too  many  wines  ;  at  which  he  laughed 
a  good  deal.  Spoke  of  the  Queen  Dowager  who  he 
is  going  to  see  at  J  p.  1  on  Saturday  ;  spoke  of  my 
calling  her  Queen  Adelaide  and  not  Queen  Dowager, 
as  it  was  painful  to  people  to  receive  that  name. 
Spoke  of  all  changes  of  that  kind  ;  of  the  Queen 
Dowager's  having  signed  "  Subject  "  to  me  the  day 
after  the  King  died.^ 

Friday,  23rd  March. — Lord  Co^vper  is  very  shy 
and  reserved  and  speaks  but  little.  He  really  is  the 
image  of  his  mother,^  and  has  exactly  the  same  voice 
and  manner  of  speaking.  The  cut  of  the  features  is 
so  exactly  his  mother's — he  looks  delicate  and  is 
very  thin  ;  he  has  a  mild  and  pleasing  countenance. 
Lord  Melbourne  spoke  to  me  of  these  Portuguese 
despatches  which  he  had  not  yet  seen.  He  said  :  "I 
am  very  glad  the  Queen  has  shown  courage  ;  it  gives 
confidence."  .  .  . 

Sunday,  25th  March. — I  said  I  had  heard  from 
Uncle  Leopold,  who  seems  a  good  deal  vexed  at  this 
recommencement  of  this  Belgian  Question  ;  we 
spoke  of  this  and  Lord  Melbourne  said  :  "I  don't 
like  it  at  all ;  I  think  we  shall  get  into  a  quarrel 
somehow  or  other,  which  is  a  bad  thing."  He  said 
Uncle  Leopold  had  written  to  Lord  Palmerston  about 
this  and  about  this  Portuguese  Affair  ;  Lord  Mel- 
bourne said  that  Uncle  wrote  that  people  complained 
and  with  truth  that  Ferdinand  did  not  show  himself  ; 
upon  which  Dietz '   wrote  that  a  King  should  not 

^  "  Your  Majesty's  most  affectionate  Friend,  Aunt,  and  Subject, 
Adelaide." 

2  Loi'd  Melbourne's  sister,  afterwards  Lady  Palmerston.    Seep.  242. 

3  Dietz  had  been  Governor  to  Prince  Ferdinand,  and  accompanied 
him  to  Portugal,  where  he  took  a  considerable  part  in  political  affairs. 


298  A    LONG    RIDE  [^.18 

show  himself  when  his  subjects  are  spilling  their 
blood.  Whereupon  Uncle  observed  :  that  was  a 
very  fine  German  sentiment,  but  that  if  Louis 
Philippe  had  followed  that  principle,  he  would  have 
lost  his  head  like  Louis  xvi.  ...  Of  the  late  hurri- 
cane in  Ireland  ;  Lord  Melbourne  said  trees  never 
grew  so  well  in  Ireland  and  were  all  a  little  bent  from 
the  wind  blowing  across  the  Atlantic.  He  dislikes 
trees  near  a  house,  and  he  is  very  fond  of  thinning 
trees.  Spoke  of  Claremont  and  the  trees  there.  We 
then  spoke  of  names  (Xtian  names)  for  a  long  while, 
about  which  Lord  Melbourne  was  very  amusing  and 
very  funny.  He  said  Lady  Ashley  was  always  called 
Minny.  He  said  :  "  I  think  Mary  beautiful."  We 
spoke  of  Molly  ;  "  Molly  is  beautiful ;  it's  such  a 
soft  word,  there  are  more  liquids  in  it  than  in  almost 
any  word."  Then  Bess  he  thinks  "  quite  beautiful," 
as  also  Jane,  and  Kate,  and  Alice  ;  "  Jane  and 
Joan,"  he  said,  "  are  John."  "  Louisa,"  he  says,  "  is 
a  fastidious  name."  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  27th  March. — At  J  p.  12  I  rode  out  with 
Lord  Conyngham,  Lord  Uxbridge,  Lord  Byron,^ 
Lady  Mary,  dearest  Lehzen,  Miss  Cavendish,  Miss 
Quentin,  Sir  F.  Stovin  and  Col.  Cavendish,  and 
came  home  at  J  p.  3,  having  ridden  22  miles  !  !  !  We 
rode  very  hard  and  Tartar  went  most  delightfully, 
NEVER  was  there  such  a  dear  horse.  We  rode  to 
Richmond,  through  part  of  the  Richmond  Park,  out 
at  Robin  Hood  Gate,  and  home  over  Wimbledon 
Common  and  Vauxhall  Bridge.  It  was  as  hot  as 
summer,  and  going  I  thought  I  should  have  melted  ; 
coming  over  Wimbledon  Common  there  was  some 
delicious   air.     It   was   a   heavenly   day.     At    6   m. 

^  George,  Lord  BjTon,  succeeded  his  cousin  the  poet  in  1824.     He 
was  an  extra  Lord-in-waiting  to  the  Queen. 


1838]  PRIME    MINISTER'S    RANK  299 

p.  4  came  Lord  Melbourne  and  stayed  with  me  till 
20  m.  to  5.  He  seemed  well.  Spoke  a  good  deal  of 
my  ride.  The  Debate  lasted  till  11  last  night,  and 
he  dined  and  stayed  at  home.  Spoke  of  the  Arch- 
bishop's having  made  a  long  speech  last  night  about 
the  Indian  Worship  ;  spoke  of  that.  Spoke  of  the 
Duke  of  Sussex  and  what  he  told  me  about  the  rank 
a  Prime  Minister  should  have,  viz.  that  of  Lord  High 
Treasurer  ;  Lord  Melbourne  said  :  "I  think  it  had 
better  remain  as  it  is."  ^ 

Wednesday,  28th  March. — Spoke  of  my  ride  ;  of 
Mr.  Bulwer's  novels,  none  of  which  Lord  Melbourne 
has  read.  Lady  Durham  said  it  was  very  odd 
that  so  clever  a  man  should  be  vain  about  his 
personal  appearance.  Lord  Melbourne  replied  :  "I 
think  clever  people  generally  have  more  of  those 
weaknesses  than  others."  Lord  Melbourne  said  :  "  I 
always  predicted  he  would  be  a  genius  when  he  was 
a  boy  ;  and  I  was  sure  he  would  make  a  figure  ;  he 
used  to  come  over  to  Brocket  when  he  was  17,  and 
show  me  his  poetry."  I  asked  Lord  Melbourne  if 
he  was  fond  of  novels  ;  he  said  "  very  fond,"  but 
that  he  had  no  time  to  read  them  now.  Spoke  of 
Lady  Wilhelmina,  who  Lord  Melbourne  says  is  cer- 
tainly much  grown  since  last  year.  I  said  "  Every- 
body grows  but  me."  He  laughed  and  said,  "  I 
think  you  are  grown."  .  .  . 

Thursday,  29th  March. — I  showed  Lord  Melbourne 
a  bracelet  with  my  portrait  by  Ross  in  it,  which  I'm 
going  to  give  Lady  Durham,  which  he  thought  very 
like. 

Friday,  SOth  March. — Got  up  at  10  m.  to  10,  and 
breakfasted  at  a  J  to  11.     Heard  from  Lord  John 

^  It  was  altered  by  King  Edward  in  1905,  and  the  Prime  Minister 
aow  takes  rank  immediately  after  the  Archbishop  of  York 


300  LADY    HOLLAND  [^et.is 

before  breakfast,  that  Sir  George  Strickland  ^  brought 
on  this  Motion  for  emancipating  the  Apprentices 
this  year,  last  night,  and  was  seconded  by  Mr. 
Pease '  (the  Quaker).  Sir  George  Grey '  made  a 
speech  of  2  hours  and  fifty  minutes,  and  completely 
exhausted  the  subject.  The  speech  was  a  very  able 
one  and  Lord  John  thinks  will  change  many  Votes. 

Sunday^  1st  April. — I  told  him  of  the  Duke  of  Cam- 
bridge and  what  he  had  said  about  his  wish  of  going 
to  the  Emperor  of  Austria's  Coronation  ;  and  also 
that  he  said  he  could  not  dine  with  me  on  Tuesday, 
but  invited  himself  to  dine  with  me  another  day 
without  the  Duchess  ;  Lord  Melbourne  laughed  and 
said,  "  That's  very  odd  ;  Your  Majesty  should  have 
said  '  That's  not  right.'  "  Spoke  of  Little  Holland 
House,  which  Lord  Melbourne  says  is  quite  near 
Holland  House  and  a  very  nice  place,  with  a  very 
pretty  garden  ;  spoke  of  Miss  Fox,  Lord  Holland's 
sister,  who  is  such  an  amiable  person  ;  we  were  not 
sure  of  her  age  ;  Lord  Melbourne  said  she  was  grown 
up  when  he  was  a  boy  at  school ;  spoke  of  Lady 
Holland,  who  has  been  very  handsome  though  he 
always  remembers  her  very  large  ;  and  she  has  a 
vulgar  mouth  and  used  always  to  say,  "  A  vulgar 
ordinary  mouth  I  have."     Spoke  of  her  and  Lady 

1  Whig  M.P.  for  West  Riding  of  Yorkshire. 

2  Joseph  Pease,  M.P.  for  South  Durham,  had  been  a  pioneer  of 
railway  construction,  and  had  assisted  his  father  in  forming  (upon 
the  persuasion  of  George  Stephenson)  the  Stockton  and  Darlington  line. 

^  Sir  George  Grey  of  Falloden,  Northumberland,  second  Baronet 
(1799-1882),  Under-Secretary  for  the  Colonies.  Appointed  Judge 
Advocate-General  in  1839,  and  in  1846  Home  Secretary  under  Lord 
John  Russell,  an  office  which  he  held  for  nearly  twenty  years.  He 
was  a  man  of  fine  presence  and  great  social  charm.  His  high  moral 
qualities  and  freedom  from  personal  ambition  gained  for  him  the 
esteem  of  both  political  parties  and  the  confidence  of  his  countrymen. 
He  has  beeia  worthily  succeeded  in  his  title  and  all  else  by  his  grandson, 
Sir  Edward  Grey,  K.G. 


1838]  HORSES    AND    RIDING  301 

Lilford,  who,  Lord  Melbourne  said  laughing,  "  never 
had  the  use  of  her  legs."  Lady  Holland  is  about 
68,  he  thinks;  she  was  married  in  1786  to  her  1st 
husband,  Sir  Godfrey  Webster,  when  she  was  only 
16.     Spoke  of  Portugal  &c.  .  .  . 

Monday,  2nd  April. — I  said  to  Lord  Melbourne  I 
was  so  stupid  that  I  must  beg  him  to  explain  to  me 
about  Sir  William  Follett  ^  again  ;  he  answered  very 
kindly,  "  It  is  not  stupid,  but  I  daresay  you  can't 
understand  it,"  and  he  explained  it  to  me  like  a  kind 
father  would  do  to  his  child  ;  he  has  something  so 
fatherly,  and  so  affectionate  and  kind  in  him,  that 
one  must  love  him.  ...  I  rode  Lord  Uxbridge's 
little  horse,  which  I  have  Christened  Uxbridge,  and 
which  is  the  most  charming,  delightful,  quiet  horse 
possible.  It  has  a  most  beautiful  little  head,  is  of 
a  dark  chestnut  colour,  if  possible  quieter  than 
Tartar,  for  it  never  takes  notice  of  anything  ;  full  of 
spirit,  and  very  easy  and  pleasant  in  its  canter  which 
is  faster  than  Tartar's.  It  is  delightful  to  have  two 
such  horses  as  Tartar  and  Uxbridge.  It  was  a  very 
warm,  bright,  clear,  pleasant  day.  We  rode  to 
Hanwell  through  Acton  ;  home  by  Castle  Hill,  Acton 
again,  and  in  at  the  Victoria  Gate,  and  home  by  the 
garden  gate  ;  we  rode  about  19  or  20  miles.  When 
we  were  near  Notting  Hill,  or  rather  more  at  Brook- 
green,  I  sent  on  a  groom  to  inform  Lord  Melbourne 
(who  told  me  last  night  he  would  come  to  me  at 
four  today),  that  I  should  be  at  home  in  a  few 
minutes  ;  but  when  I  came  home,  they  said  Lord 
Melbourne  had  been  at  the  gate  a  few  minutes  before, 

^  This  brilliant  advocate,  who  died  at  the  age  of  forty-seven,  had 
been  Peel's  Solicitor-General,  and  became  Attorney-General  in  1841. 
He  appeared  for  Norton  in  his  action  for  crim.  con.  against  Melbourne, 
without   any  success,   for   the   charge   was   triumphantly   refuted. 


302  CONCERNING    RAILWAYS  t^T.  is 

and  on  hearing  I  was  still  out,  said  "  Very  well," 
and  walked  his  horse  away.  I  waited  in  my  habit 
till  5,  the  hour  for  the  House  of  Lords,  when  I  felt 
that  my  good  Lord  Melbourne  could  not  come,  and 
I  \\Tote  to  him.     It  is  my  own  fault.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  4th  April. — Spoke  of  the  Coronation, 
and  the  fuss  the  Princesses  were  in  about  their  robes  ; 
I  told  Lord  Melbourne  that  the  Duchess  of  Gloucester 
had  offered  to  hold  the  tip  of  my  train  when  I  was 
being  crowned,  as  the  Duchess  of  Brunswick  had 
done  for  Queen  Charlotte,  and  that  I  thought  this 
very  kind  of  the  Duchess  ;  which  quite  touched  my 
good  friend.  Spoke  of  Han  well,  and  rail-roads  ;  I 
said  I  feared  there  were  so  many  rail-roads  that  they 
could  not  all  answer  ;  Lord  Melbourne  said  he  feared 
they  would  not,  but  that  he  was  sorry  for  it,  as  he 
was  engaged  in  one.  "  I  was  fool  enough  to  engage 
in  one  and  to  take  50  shares  ;  I  have  already  paid 
£1,000,  and  have  lately  had  a  call  for  £500  more," 
he  added.  This  rail-road  is  in  Nottingham  and  he 
engaged  in  it  about  4  years  ago.  I  asked  him  if  he 
liked  rail-roads  in  general ;  he  replied,  "  I  don't  care 
about  them,"  which  made  me  laugh  ;  and  he  added 
that  they  were  bad  for  the  country  as  they  brought 
such  a  shocking  set  of  people  "  who  commit  every 
i  horror."  "  They  are  picked  men,  who  mind  neither 
Lord  nor  laws,  and  commit  every  species  of  violence ; 
nothing  is  safe,"  he  added  ;  and  "  it's  more  like  a 
country  in  time  of  war  "  than  peace.  He  spoke  of 
Dorsetshire  to  Ladv  Portman,  and  she  said  it  was 
so  poor  ;  he  replied,  "  That's  because  you  don't 
give  enough  wages." 

Thursday,  oth  April. — Spoke  of  Lady  Burghersh  ' ; 
Lord  Melbourne  said,  "  She  is  of  a  great  deal  of  use  to 

^  See  ante,  p.  149. 


1838]  LORD    BYRON  303 

us,  in  a  quiet  way  "  ;  for  if  he  wished  to  communicate 
with  the  Duke  of  WeUington,  he  did  it  through  her ; 
he,  of  course,  does  not  wish  me  to  mention  this  ; 
but  I  hope  I  am  discreet  and  tell  but  little  of  what 
he  tells  to  me.  Lady  Burghersh  is  a  sensible,  clever 
woman,  and  has  great  influence  over  the  Duke. 

Friday,  6th  April. — Spoke  of  my  ride  ;  rail-roads  ; 
that  the  Steam-Carriage  could  not  be  stopped  under 
150  yards'  distance  of  an  object;  I  observed  that 
these  Steam-Carriages  are  very  dangerous  ;  Lord 
Melbourne  said,  "  Oh  !  none  of  these  modern  inven- 
tions consider  human  life."  Spoke  of  Col.  Cavendish 
and  Sir  George  Quentin  ;  of  horses  ;  Lord  Mel- 
bourne said  his  mare  would  not  be  well  enough  to 
come  down  to  Windsor,  but  that  he  could  get  a 
horse  from  me  there,  to  ride.  I  observed  that  Mr. 
Cowper  complained  he  (Ld.  M.)  never  rode  the  horses 
he  should  ride  ;  "  I  don't  know,  he  never  got  me  a 
horse  I  liked  ;  I  don't  think  he  is  a  very  good  hand 
at  horses."  Lord  Melbourne  said  Mr.  Fred  Byng  ' 
got  him  his  present  black  mare  ;  he  hears  a  horse- 
dealer  has  got  a  horse  which  he  thinks  will  do  for 
him ;  the  price  is  160  guineas,  which  he  says  is 
nothing  if  the  horse  is  a  good  one  ;  but  a  good  deal 
if  it  is  a  bad  one.  .  .  .  Spoke  of  Byron,  who  Lord 
Melbourne  said  would  not  be  50  if  he  were  alive  ^ ;  he 
said  he  was  extremely  handsome  ;  had  dark  hair, 
was  very  lame  and  limped  very  much  ;  I  asked  if 
the  expression  of  his  countenance  was  agreeable  ;  he 
said  not ;  "  he  had  a  sarcastic,  sardonic  expression ; 
a  contemptuous  expression."  I  asked  if  he  was  not 
agreeable  ;    he  said  "  He  could  be  excessively  so  "  ; 

1  The  Hon.  F.  G.  Byng,  sometime  Gentleman  Usher  of  the  Privy 
Chamber. 

^  He  would  have  been  50  on  January  22,  1838. 


^ 


304  THE    DUCHESS    OF    GLOUCESTER  c^t.is 

"  he  had  a  pretty  smile  "  ;  "  treacherous  beyond 
conception  ;  I  beheve  he  was  fond  of  treachery." 
Lord  Melbourne  added,  "  he  dazzled  everj^body," 
and  deceived  them  ;  "  for  he  could  tell  his  story 
very  well."  .  .  .  Lord  Melbourne  said,  "  The  old  King 
(George  III.)  had  that  hurried  manner  ;  but  he  was 
a  shrewd,  acute  man,  and  most  scrupulously  civil." 
He  added  that  the  King  was  rather  tall,  red  in  the 
face,  large  though  not  a  corpulent  man  ;  prejudiced 
and  obstinate  beyond  conception  ;  spoke  of  the  old 
Duke  of  Gloucester  who,  he  said,  was  not  a  clever 
man  but  a  good-natured  man,  though  very  proud  ;  of 
the  Duchess  of  Gloucester  his  wife  ;  Lord  Melbourne 
said  that  Horace  Walpole  tells  that  one  day  he  (I 
think)  gave  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  a  fete  at  Straw- 
berry Hill ;  and  the  Duchess  came  over  before  to 
see  that  all  was  right  ;  and  when  she  came  there  she 
saw  that  the  host  had  put  up  her  arms  with  the 
Duke's  ;  she  said,  "  God  bless  me  !  this  will  never 
do ;  you  must  take  this  down  directly,  this  will 
never  do  ;  the  Duke  would  be  extremely  angry  were 
he  to  see  this."  The  Duchess  was  a  Walpole  by 
birth  ^  ;  she  was  first  married  to  Lord  Waldegrave  ; 
her  children  by  that  marriage  were  beautiful  ;  they 
were  Elizabeth,  Lady  Waldegrave,'  Lady  Euston,' 
and  Lady  Hugh  Seymour,  who  was  mother  to 
Sir  Horace  Seymour."^  "  People  were  very  fond  of 
her,"  Lord  Melbourne  said.  .  .  . 

Sunday^  8th  April.  — Lord  Melbourne  looked  over 

^  She  was  an  illegitimate  daughter  of  Edward  Walpole  (second 
son  of  Sir  Robert)  by  Mary  Clement,  a  sempstress  in  Pall  Mall.  Their 
two  other  daughters  became  Countess  of  Albemaxle  and  Countess  of 
Dysart  respectively. 

^  Married  her  cousin  George,  seventh  Earl  Waldegrave. 

*  Wife  of  George,  second  Duke  of  Grafton. 

*  Father  of  the  Admiral,  Sir  Beauchamp  Seymour,  Lord  Alcester. 


1838]  "LODGES    PORTRAITS"  305 

one  of  the  Volumes    (the   sixth)   of  a  Work  called 
"Lodge's  Portraits";  there  are  portraits  of  all  sorts 
of  famous  people  in  it,  witli  short  Memoirs  of  them 
annexed  to  them.     Lord  Melbourne  looked  carefully 
over  each,  reading  the  accounts  of  the  people  and 
admiring  the  prints.     I  wish   I  had  time  to  write 
down  all  the  clever  observations  he  made  about  all. 
It  is  quite  a  delight  foi'  rn^  to  hear  him  speak  about 
all  these  things  ;    he  has  such  stores  of  knowledge  \ 
such  a  wonderful  memory  ;    he  knows  about  every- 
body and  everything  ;   wJio  they  were,  and  what  they 
did  ;    and   he   imparts  all  his  knowledge   in   such  a 
kind  and  agreeable  manner  ;    it  does  me  a  world  of 
good  ;     and   his   conversations   always   improve   one   ; 
greatly.     I  shall  just  name  a  few  of  the  people  he 
observed  upon  : — Raleigh,  which  he  thought  a  very 
handsome    head  ;     Hobbes,    who    was    "  an    infidel 
philosopher "  ;     he    had    been   tutor   to   one    of   the 
Earls   of   Devonshire,^   he    said  ;     Knox — Lord   Mel- 
bourne observed  that  those  Scotch  Reformers  were 
very  violent  people  ;    but  that  Knox  denied  having 
been  so  harsh  to  Mary  of  Scots  as  she  said  he  had 
been  ;    Lord  Mansfield,  who,   he  said,   "  was  great- 
uncle  "   to  the   present  Lord  ;    Melanchthon,  whose 
name  means  Black  Earth  in  Greek,  and  whose  head 
he  admired  ;    Pitt,  whose  print  Lord  Melbourne  said 
was  very  like  ;    "  he  died  in  1806  when  I  came  into 
Parliament."     He  (Ld.  M.)  came  in  for  Leominster. 
Wesley  ;    Lord  Melbourne  said  the  greatest  number 
of   Dissenters   were   Wesley ans  ;     he   read   from  the 
book  that  there  were  (at  his  death)  135,000  of  his 
followers  ;    P  or  son, — Lord  Melbourne  said,  "  I  knew 
him  ;   he  was  a  great  Greek  scholar,"  and  looking  at 
the  print,   "  it's  very  like  him."     Leibnitz,  a  great 

^  To  William,  second  Earl,  when  Lord  Cavendish. 
1—21 


306  MADAME    DE    STAEL  [^t.is 

German  philosopher,  and  a  correspondent  of  Queen 
CaroHne,  wife  to  George  II.  ;  spoke  of  her  being  so 
learned  and  her  whole  court  too  ;  "  the  Tories 
laughed  at  it  very  much  "  ;  and  Swift  ridiculing  the 
Maids  of  Honour  wrote,  "  Since  they  talk  to  Dr. 
Clark,  They  now  venture  in  the  Dark."  Addison  ; 
Lord  Melbourne  admires  his  "  Spectator,"  his  "  Cato  " 
he  also  admires,  but  says  it's  not  like  a  Roman 
tragedy  ;  "  there  is  so  much  love  in  it."  Addison 
died  at  Holland  House  ;  he  disagreed  very  much 
with  his  wife.  Lady  Warwick.  Holland  House  was 
built,  he  said,  by  Rich,  Lord  Holland,  in  the  reign  of 
Charles  Ist.^  Madame  de  Stael,  whose  print  he 
thought  very  like  ;  "  she  had  good  eyes,  she  was 
very  vain  of  her  arms."  She  was  over  here  in  '15, 
and  died  in  '17,  aged  51  ;  she  disliked  dying  very 
much  ;  Lord  Melbourne  also  knew  her  daughter  the 
Duchesse  de  Broglie  ;  he  said,  "  Louis  Philippe  dis- 
likes her  as  much  as  Napoleon  did  her  Mother,''^ 
Lord  Melbourne  saw  Madame  de  Broglie  for  a 
moment  when  he  was  at  Paris  for  the  last  time  in 
1825.  He  read  from  the  book,  with  great  emphasis, 
the  following  passage,  what  Napoleon  said  of  Madame 
de  Stael :  "  They  pretend  that  she  neither  talks 
politics  nor  mentions  me  ;  but  I  know  not  how  it 
happens  that  people  seem  to  like  me  less  after 
visiting  her."  Queen  Elizabeth  ;  spoke  of  her,  and 
that  her  Mother  must  have  been  very  handsome. 
Lady  Holland,  he  told  me,  has  the  greatest  fear  of 
dying ;  spoke  of  pictures ;  Lord  Melbourne  does 
not  admire  Murillo  much,  nor  Rubens  ;  he  so  greatly 
prefers  the  Italian  Masters  to  any  others  ;  spoke  of 
subjects   for  painting ;     of  the  Holy   Famil}^   being 

1  Holland    House   was   built   by    Sir   Walter   Cope   in    1607.     His 
daughter  and  co- heiress  married  Henry  Rich,  first  Earl  of  Holland. 


1838]  LORD    BROUGHAM'S    STRANGENESS  307 

constantly  painted  ;  "  After  all,"  he  said,  "  a  woman 
and  child  is  the  most  beautiful  subject  one  can 
have."  He  is  going  down  alone  to  Brocket ;  I  told 
him  his  sister  thought  Brocket  so  cold,  and  that 
she  wanted  him  to  put  up  stoves,  which  he  said 
would  "  burn  down  the  house."  "  I  reduced  the 
grates,"  he  continued,  "  because  I  thought  they 
gave  heat  enough  ;  and  so  they  do,  if  they  make 
large  fires  ;  but  they  don't  know  how  to  make  fires." 
He  can't  bear  Brocket  in  winter.  He  was  going 
home  and  did  not  feel  tired  any  more.  He  spoke 
of  my  riding  very  kindly.  Stayed  up  till  a  J  p.  11. 
It  was  a  most  delightful  evening. 

Monday,  9th  April. — I  showed  him  letters  of  thanks 
from  Lords  Fitzwilliam  and  Dundas  and  Captain 
Sykes,  relative  to  my  having  repaid  to  the  two 
first-named  the  debt  incurred  by  my  poor  father 
and  owing  to  their  late  fathers  ;  and  to  the  latter 
the  debt  owing  to  himself,  accompanied  by  gifts. 
Lord  Melbourne  observed  my  sleeves  (which  were 
very  long)  with  astonishment,  and  said  "  Amazing 
sleeves  !  "  .  .  . 

Monday,  16th  April. — Lord  Melbourne  told  me 
that  there  were  very  strange  accounts  of  Lord 
Brougham  and  all  he  was  saying  and  doing  at 
Paris ;  his  having  gone  to  see  Louis  Philippe  at 
11  o'clock  at  night,  when  the  Swiss  Guard  were 
(as.  they  always  are)  asleep  on  the  staircase  ;  they 
stopped  him  (Brougham),  saying  the  King  was 
gone  to  bed  ;  upon  which  Brougham  observed  that 
their  King  had  "  very  rustic  habits."  Spoke  of 
him,  his  visiting  Lady  Fitzharris  ^ ;  Lord  Melbourne 
spoke  of  Brougham  and  his  oddities ;  of  this 
Review    which    he    (B.)    has    written    and     which 

*  Wife  of  James  Howard,  afterwards  third  Earl  of  Malmesbury. 


308  DEATH    OF    LOUIS  [^t.  is 

Lord  Melbourne  thinks  "  well  done."  He  thinks 
Queen  Charlotte  and  George  III.  very  harshly 
handled  in  it,  and  Queen  Caroline  amazingly  puffed 
up  ;  the  Duke  of  York's  character  he  thinks  the  best 
done  ;  he  says  there  is  a  great  deal  which  Brougham 
seems  not  to  know  ;  spoke  of  George  IV. 's  character, 
not  being  understood  ;  of  Sir  William  Knighton's 
Memoirs  which  are  just  published,  and  which  Lord 
Melbourne  thinks  it  very  wrong  in  Lady  Knighton  ^ 
to  have  published  ;  of  George  IV.  being  so  com- 
pletely in  the  hands  of  Knighton,  &c.,  &c.  I  felt 
very  unhappy  at  dinner,  in  spite  of  my  being  gay 
when  I  spoke,  and  I  could  have  cried  almost  at 
every  moment ;  so  much  so,  that  when  I  got  into 
bed,  my  nerves  (which  had  been  more  shaken  by 
the  loss  of  dearest  Louis, ^  than  I  can  express,  and  by 
the  struggle  when  in  company  to  overcome  grief 
which  I  felt  so  acutely)  could  resist  no  longer,  and 
more  than  half  an  hour  elapsed,  in  tears,  before 
I  fell  asleep.  And  before  I  was  asleep  I  saw  her, 
in  my  imagination,  before  me,  dressed  in  her  neat 
white  morning  gown,  sitting  at  her  breakfast  in  her 
room  at  Claremont ;  again,  standing  in  my  room 
of  an  evening,  dressed  in  her  best,  holding  herself  so 
erect,  as  she  always  did,  and  making  the  low  dignified 
curtsey   so  peculiar  to  herself ;    and  lastly   on  her 

^  Sir  William  Knighton  had  been  physician  to  George  IV.,  when 
Prince  of  Wales,  and  was  private  secretary  and  Keeper  of  his  Privy 
Purse  when  King.  The  King  employed  him  in  various  confidential 
matters. 

2  Queen  Victoria  in  1872  wrote  of  Louis  as  "  the  former  faithful 
and  devoted  friend  of  Princess  Charlotte — beloved  and  respected 
by  all  who  knew  her — and  who  doted  on  the  little  Princess  who  was 
too  much  an  idol  in  the  House.  This  dear  old  lady  was  visited  by 
every  one,  and  was  the  only  really  devoted  attendant  of  the  poor 
Princess,  wiiose  governesses  paid  little  real  attention  to  her,  and 
who  never  left  her,  and  was  with  her  when  she  died."     See  p.  62. 


1838]  THE    ROYAL    FAMILY  309 

death-bed,  pale  and  emaciated,  but  the  expression 
the  same,  and  the  mind  vigorous  and  firm  as  ever  ! 
These  were  the  images  I  beheld  as  I  lay  in  bed  ! 
Yet,  mingled  with  my  grief  were  feelings  of  thank- 
fulness that  her  end  was  so  peaceful — so  happy  !  .  .  . 

Saturday,  2\st  April. — I  showed  Lord  Melbourne 
the  plans  for  changing  the  Slopes  and  making  a  new 
walk,  and  we  looked  over  them  for  some  time  together. 
We  then  spoke  of  what  might  have  happened  when 
the  Duke  of  York  married  ;  for  who  could  foretell, 
Lord  Melbourne  observed,  that  the  Duchess  of  York 
would  have  no  children  ? — and  that  the  late  King 
should  lose  the  two  he  had  ?  This  led  us  to  speak 
of  the  whole  Royal  Family,  their  characters,  of  the 
Princesses  marrying  so  late  ;  of  George  III.'s  dislike 
to  their  marrying,  which  Lord  Melbourne  did  not 
know ;  of  their  beauty  ;  he  always  thought  Prin- 
cess Sophia  (when  young)  very  pretty,  though  very 
like  a  Gipsy  ;  spoke  of  the  singular  instance  of  both 
George  III.'s  and  Queen  Charlotte's  being  very 
plain  and  all  their  children  very  handsome  ;  spoke 
of  all  the  Princes  and  Princesses,  of  the  two  little 
Princes,  Octavius  and  Alfred,  who  died  ;  Lord  Mel- 
bourne said,  George  III.  said  when  he  felt  he  was 
to  be  unwell  (which  he  always  forefelt)  he  dreamt 
and  thought  of  Octavius.  Lord  Melbourne  said 
Queen  Charlotte  had  fine  hands  and  feet,  a  good  bust, 
and  a  pretty  figure. 

Sunday,  22nd  April. — I  spoke  to  him  of  what  I 
was  to  write  to  L^ncle  relative  to  Soult's  nomina- 
tion ^ ;      Soult,    he   told    me,    is   a    large,    tall   man ; 

1  Marshal  Soult,  Duke  of  Dalmatia,  was  appointed  Ambassador  of 
the  King  of  the  French  at  Queen  Victoria's  Coronation.     He  had  been 
Wellington's    antagonist    in    the    Peninsula,    and    this    added    to    his 
popularity  with  the  masses  of  the  London  streets. 
1—21* 


310  LADY    CHARLOTTE    BURY  [^t.is 

looks  more  "  like  the  Purser  of  a  ship  "  than  an 
officer  ;  a  very  distinguished  officer  risen  from  the 
ranks,  and  a  man  of  great  abilities  besides.  Lord 
Melbourne  knew  him  when  he  was  in  Paris.  I  asked 
Lord  Melbourne  when  he  was  first  at  Paris  ;  in  1815 
he  said,  which  was  the  first  time  he  was  ever  on  the 
Continent.  "  We  went,"  he  said  (which  "  we  "  im- 
plies himself  and  Lady  Caroline,  his  wife)  "  to 
Brussels  immediately  after  the  Battle  of  Waterloo,  to 
see  Fred.  Ponsonby  ^  who  was  desperately  wounded." 
This  was  in  June  1815,  and  he  went  to  Paris  in 
August,  and  stayed  there  September  and  October  and 
came  back  in  November.  He  saw  Uncle  Leopold 
there  then,  and  said  he  was  extremely  handsome. 

Monday,  23rd  April. — Lord  Melbourne  looked  into 
the  newspapers  and  said  there  was  nothing  in  them  ; 
he  read  (in  the  papers)  a  denial  from  Lady  Charlotte 
Bury  "  of  her  having  written  the  book  called  Diary 
of  the  Reign  (I  think)  of  George  IV.  ;  Lord 
Melbourne  spoke  of  Lady  Hertford,  though  he  of 
course  could  not  remember  her  in  her  great  beauty  ; 
he  said,  "  My  nurse  nursed  Lord  Hertford,^  so  that 

1  General  Sir  Frederick  Cavendish  Ponsonby,  K.C.B.,  G.C.M.G., 
second  son  of  the  third  Earl  of  Bessborough,  and  brother  of  Lady 
Caroline  Lamb.  He  was  the  father  of  the  late  Sir  Henry  Ponsonby, 
Queen  Victoria's  private  secretary  and  Keeper  of  her  Privy  Purse. 

^  Lady  Charlotte  Campbell,  daughter  of  the  fifth  Duke  of  Argyll, 
married,  first,  Colonel  Campbell,  and  second.  Rev.  E.  J.  Bviry  ;  was 
Lady-in- Waiting  to  Caroline,  Princess  of  Wales.  She  was  a  friend  and 
patroness  of  Sir  W.  Scott,  and  wrote  several  novels.  In  1838  appeared 
A  Diary  illustrative  of  the  Times  of  George  IV.,  which  was  attributed  to 
her  by  Lord  Brougham — a  charge  which  was  never  denied.  The 
work  was  severely  criticised. 

3  Francis  Charles,  third  Marquess  (1777-1842),  the  "Lord  Mon- 
mouth "  of  Coningsby.  His  son,  here  called  Lord  Yarmouth,  suc- 
ceeded him  and  died  unmarried  in  1870.  The  fourth  Marquess  was 
the  founder  of  the  magnificent  collections  now  the  property  of  the 
nation  at  Hertford  House. 


1838]  THE    HERTFORD    FAMH.Y  311 

I  used  to  hear  a  great  deal  about  her."  The  present 
Lord  Hertford's  wife,  he  said,  was  a  natural  daughter 
of  the  Duke  of  Queensberry,  called  Mme.  Fagniani  ^  ; 
she  is  still  alive  at  Paris,  but  Lord  Hertford  has 
long  been  separated  from  her  ;  Lord  Yarmouth,  he 
said,  is  very  clever,  but  always  lives  abroad.^  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  25th  April, — In  speaking  before  of 
Mrs.  Baring,^  who,  I  said,  from  having  been  the 
most  affectionate  of  mothers,  latterly  never  asked 
after  her  children, — Lord  Melbourne  said  with  the 
tears  in  his  eyes,  "  That's  a  sure  sign  that  all  is 
over  ;  when  people  intermit  what  they  have  been 
in  the  habit  of  doing."  He  mentioned  that  when 
William  III.  was  dying  they  brought  him  some  good 
news  from  abroad,  but  he  took  no  notice  of  it  what- 
ever, and  said,  "  Je  tire  a  ma  fin."  .  .  . 

Friday,  27th  April. — I  showed  Lord  Melbourne  two 
pictures  of  Lord  Durham's  children  ;  spoke  of  the 
beautiful  bov  Lord  Durham  lost,  who  would  now 
be  20.  Lord  Melbourne  said,  that  boy's  death  was 
the  cause  of  a  dreadful  scene  between  Durham  and 
Lord  Grey  in  one  of  the  Cabinets.  Spoke  of  this 
Flahaut  ^  business,  and  of  the  wish  at  Paris  to  throw 
the  blame  of  the  whole  on  Uncle  Leopold ;  spoke  of 

^  Her  paternity  was  in  dispute  between  the  Duke  of  Queensberry 
and  George  Selwyn. 

^  Lord  Yarmouth,  afterwards  fourth  Marquess,  and  his  brother 
Lord  Henry  Seymour  always  lived  in  Paris.  Lord  Hertford  possessed 
a  fine  apartment  at  the  corner  of  the  Rue  Lafite  and  a  country  place 
called  "  Bagatelle  "  in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne.  Subsequently  they 
passed  to  Sir  R.  Wallace  and  later  to  Sir  John  Murray  Scott.  Bagatelle 
is  now  the  property  of  the  Municipality  of  Paris. 

^  Hortense  Eugenie  Claire,  daughter  of  Due  de  Bassano,  Minister 
of  Napoleon  I.,  married  1833  to  Francis  Baring,  afterwards  third  Lord 
Ashbvirton. 

*  Comte  de  Flahaut,  son  of  Comtesse  de  Flahaut  Adele,  who 
was  afterwards  Baronne  de  Souza,  had  once  been  French  Ambassador 


312  COURT    FACTIONS  [^t.  is 

Flahaut ;  Lord  Melbourne  said  he  (Flahaut)  was  first 
noticed  by  Napoleon,  in  the  Russian  Retreat,  when 
in  all  that  cold  and  misery  he  heard  a  young  officer 
singing,  and  appearing  quite  gay  ;  that  was  Flahaut ; 
Napoleon  said,  "  That  is  a  fine  young  fellow,"  and 
placed  him  on  his  Staff.  .  .  .  Spoke  of  Lady  CampbelP 
(Pamela  Fitzgerald)  who  Lord  Melbourne  has  not  seen 
again,  but  from  whom  he  has  had  a  long  letter.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  28th  April. — Lord  Melbourne  continued, 
that  those  who  were  about  the  Prince  of  Wales  ^  were 
not  liked  at  Court  "  and  vice  versa."  And  he  said 
his  family  quite  belonged  to  Carlton  House  ;  still, 
he  added,  the  King  and  Queen  were  very  civil  to 
him.  Speaking  of  George  IV.  he  said,  "  He  ex- 
pected those  he  was  fond  of  to  go  quite  with  him  ; 
to  dislike  those  he  disliked,  and  to  like  those  he 
liked,  and  to  turn  with  him."  He  then  mentioned 
what  he  told  me  before,  that  his  (Ld.  M.'s)  father  and 
mother  got  into  disgrace,  for  I  think  3  years,  when 
Mrs.  Fitzherbert  was  banished,  and  they  continued 
seeing  her ;  and  when  George  IV.  came  back  to 
Mrs.  Fitzherbert  he  came  to  dine  with  them  (Lord 
Melbourne  was  there  the  first  day  he  came)  as  if 
nothing  had  happened,  and  as  if  he  had  been  there 
the  dav  before.  Lord  Melbourne  said,  before  all 
this,  that  "  the  only  thing  one  learns  at  a  public 
school  "  is  punctuality,  and  the  value  of  time  ;  that 
he  never  had  a  clock  in  his  room,  and  always  called 

In  London,  as  Sebastian!  now  was,  but  there  was  a  competition  be- 
tween Flahaut  and  Soult  as  to  which  should  be  specially  appointed 
to  represent  the  King  of  the  French  at  the  Coronation.  His  likeness  to 
Napoleon  III.  was  considered  remarkable  and  significant. 

^  Wife  of  Major-General  Sir  Guy  Campbell,  Bart.,  and  daughter  of 
Lord  Edward  Fitzgerald  and  his  wife  Pamela,  daughter  of  Madame  de 
Genlis. 

*  Afterwards  George  IV. 


1838]  QUEEN    ANNE  313 

to  somebody  to  tell  him  what  o'clock  it  was,  which 
he  owned  was  bad,  as  it  put  you  in  the  power  of  the 
man  to  make  you  late.  He  "  never  carried  a  watch 
about  him  "  in  his  life,  and  yet  he  thinks  he  generally 
knows  what  o'clock  it  is.  .  .  . 

Monday,  30th  April. — I  then  showed  him  a  little 
book  relating  to  the  Coronations  of  various  of  my 
Ancestors,  and  amongst  others  Queen  Anne  ;  he 
looked  over  parts  of  it,  and  glanced  at  one  part 
which  states  that  Queen  Anne  said  in  her  first 
speech  to  Parliament  that  "  her  heart  was  entirely 
English."  Upon  which  Lord  Melbourne  told  me 
that  when  she  concluded  the  Peace  of  Utrecht,  which 
was  supposed  to  be  rather  favourable  to  the  French, 
a  Sir  Samuel  Garth  ^  wrote  a  poem  in  which  he  said 
of  Queen  Anne  :  "  The  Queen  this  year  has  lost  a 
part,  Of  her  entirely  English  heart," — which  is  very 
funny  ;  Lord  Melbourne  did  not  remember  what 
followed.  Speaking  of  Prince  George  of  Denmark, 
who  Lord  Melbourne  said  "  was  a  very  stupid 
fellow,"  he  added  that  he  (G.  of  Denmark)  was 
always  saying,  "  Est-il  possible  ?  "  to  everything, 
and  was  always  saying  so  whenever  he  was  told  of 
another  Lord  having  left  James  II.  So  when  James 
heard  that  George  of  Denmark  had  left  him,  he  said, 
"  So  Est-il  possible  is  gone  at  last !  "  I  spoke  of  the 
Duchess  of  Ancaster  ^  having  been  Queen  Charlotte's 
first  Mistress  of  the  Robes  ;  the  title  of  Duke  of 
Ancaster  became  extinct,  Lord  Melbourne  told  me, 
and    the   Dowager   Lady    Cholmondeley  ^    and    Lord 

^  Garth  was  an  eminent  physician  in  the  time  of  William  III.  and 
Queen  Anne.  He  wrote  occasional  verses  fluently,  and  his  poem 
"  The  Dispensary  "  had  a  great  vogue  for  fifty  years. 

2  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Peregrine,  third  Duke  of  Ancaster. 

^  Georgiana,  daughter  of  the  third  Duke  of  Ancaster,  and  widow  of 
the  first  Marquess  of  Cholmondeley. 


314  CROMWELL'S    DESCENDANTS  [^t.i8 

Willoughby's  mother  ^  were  her  co-heiresses.  I  asked 
him  who  was  now  Lord  Fauconberg  ;  he  said  the 
title  was  extinct  ^ ;  he  was  a  descendant  of  Oliver 
Cromwell's  by  Cromwell's  daughter  Lady  Faucon- 
berg ;  Lady  Charlotte  Bellasyse  married  a  person 
called  Thomas  Wynne,  a  Welshman.'  Sir  Ed.  Des- 
borow,  Lord  Melbourne  told  me,  is  also  a  descendant 
of  Cromwell's  by  one  of  his  daughters.  I  told  Lord 
Melbourne  what  the  Duke  of  Sussex  had  told  me, 
viz.  that  none  of  his  family  "  could  hold  their  tongue," 
which  is  very  true  ;  which  made  Lord  Melbourne 
laugh,  and  still  more  so  when  I  told  him  that  the 
Duke,  in  speaking  of  the  King  of  Hanover,  called 
him  "  that  other  man."  After  dinner  I  sat  on  the 
sofa  with  Lady  Isabella  and  Lady  Augusta,  Lord 
Melbourne  sitting  near  me  the  whole  evening,  and 
some  of  the  other  ladies  being  seated  round  the 
table.  Spoke  of  Lady  Isabella ;  Henry  Fox,*  of 
the  Apartments  at  Hampton  Court  &c.  ;  of  this 
Review  of  Brougham's  of  Lady  C.  Bury's  book.  Lord 
Melbourne  said  again,  what  he  told  me  the  other 
day,  that  there  was  much  which  Brougham  seemed 

1  Priscilla,  also  daughter  of  the  third  Duke  of  Ancaster.  On  the 
death  of  their  brother  unmarried,  the  barony  of  Willoughby  de  Eresby 
fell  into  abeyance  between  the  sisters,  which  was  terminated  by  the 
Crown  in  favour  of  Priscilla,  the  elder,  in  1780. 

2  The  barony  of  Fauconberg,  of  an  earlier  creation,  was  revived  in 
1903  in  favour  of  the  present  (1912)  Countess  of  Yarborough,  daughter 
and  co-heir  of  the  twelfth  Lord  Conyers. 

3  Cromwell's  son-in-law  was  promoted  from  Viscount  to  be  Earl 
Fauconberg.  He  left  no  child.  His  great-nephew  was  again  created 
Earl,  and  married  a  sister  of  Peniston,  first  Viscount  Melbourne. 
Their  daughters  married  as  follows  :  Lady  Charlotte  Bellasyse  to  Thomas 
Edward  Wynn,  Anne  to  Sir  George  Wombwell,  Elizabeth  successively 
to  the  Duke  of  Norfolk  and  Lord  Lucan. 

«  Henry  Fox  (afterwards  fourth  and  last  Lord  Holland)  married 
Lady  Augusta  Coventry  ;  at  her  death  in  1889,  Holland  House, 
Kensington,  became  the  property  of  Lord  Ilchester. 


1838]  GEORGE    IV.'S    FAVOURITES  315 

to    know  nothing    about ;     he  (B.)  states  that    Mrs. 
Fitzherbert    did    not    know    when    she    married    the 
King  that  a  marriage  with  a  CathoHc  could  not  be 
vahd  ;    Lord  Melbourne  says  she  must  have  known 
that,  and  that,  by  what  he  has  heard,  she  was  against 
the  marriage  ;    he  said  Lord  Holland  knows  a  good 
deal  about  it,  and  that  it  is  known  where  the  mar- 
riage took  place   and  by  whom  it  was  celebrated. 
Lord  Melbourne  thinks  it  took  place  in  1784  or  5^; 
the  King  left  her  in  1795,  when  Lady  Jersey  got  into 
favour,  whom  he  put  about  the  Princess  of  Wales  ; 
he  came  back  to  Mrs.  Fitzherbert  in  1802,  then  left 
her   for   Lady    Hertford,    quarrelled    with    her,    and 
then  Lady  Conyngham  followed  ;    the  last-named,  I 
observed,  was  very  good-natured  ;    Lord  Melbourne 
said,  "  She  was  the  most  good-natured,  but  the  most 
rapacious  ;     she    got    the    most    money    from    him." 
Spoke  of  Lady  Augusta  Fox  ;    Lord  Melbourne  said 
her  mother.  Lady  Coventry,  was  Lady  Mary  Beau- 
clerc,  daughter  of  a  Duke  of  St.  Albans  (uncle  to  the 
present  Duke).     Her  (Lady  Coventry's)  mother  was 
a  Miss  Moses,  a  Jewess.     Lady  Holland,  Lord  Mel- 
bourne says,  does  not  like  Lady  Augusta  Fox.     Lord 
Melbourne  told  me  that  the  Irish  Poor  Law  Bill  would 
come  up  to  the  House  of  Lords  next  day,  and  that 
there  would  be  probably  a  good  deal  next  week,  in 
the  Committee  about  it ;    a  great  deal  of  difference 
of  opinion  ;    but  he  thinks  they'll  pass  it.  .  .  . 

Friday,    4th  May. — Lord   Melbourne  told    me  on 
Wednesday  evening  that  Landseer  said  of  McLise  ^ : 

1  21st  December,  1785. 

2  Daniel  Maclise  (1806-70).  His  fii'st  success  was  a  sketch  of  Sir 
Walter  Scott  drawn  by  him  unobserved.  His  best-known  works  are 
the  two  cartoons  in  the  Royal  Gallery  of  the  House  of  Lords.  He 
was  elected  to  the  Royal  Academy  in  1840. 


316  SIR    GEORGE    HAYTER  [jet.  is 

"  He  is  beating  us  all ;  his  imagination,  grouping, 
and  drawing  is  wonderful;  he  must  soften  his 
colouring  perhaps  a  little."  Two  very  clever  ones 
of  Grant ;  a  portrait  of  Lord  Cowper  by  Lucas 
which  is  excessively  like ;  Lord  Melbourne,  by  Hayter, 
and  my  dogs  by  Landseer  looked  very  well.  The 
latter  is  too  beautiful.  There  were  also  two  very 
clever  pictures  by  Landseer's  brother  ;  there  was  also 
a  very  good  picture  by  Sir  Martin  Shee  of  the  late 
King  ;  it  is  the  likest  I've  seen  ;  it's  so  like  his 
figure. 

Saturday,  5th  May. — We  then  spoke  of  my  sitting 
one  day  to  Sir  Martin  Shee  ;  of  Lord  Melbourne's 
having  seen  an  Academician  this  morning  who  said 
the  reason  why  Hayter  was  not  elected  one  of  their 
Members  was  because  his  character  was  not  good  ; 
Lord  Melbourne  asked  me  about  it ;  I  said  I  did 
not  know  much  about  it,  but  that  I  believed  he  had 
quarrelled  with  his  wife  and  had  separated  from 
her.  "  And  did  he  get  another  ?  "  said  Lord  M. 
I  laughed  and  said  I  was  not  sure  of  that.  .  .  . 

Monday,  7th  May. — We  (that  is  Lord  Melbourne, 
Lord  Holland  and  I)  spoke  about  the  Exhibition, 
Landseer's  picture  of  my  dogs,  the  origin  of  the  dog 
in  the  Arms  of  the  Seal  of  the  Duchy  of  Lancaster, 
which  Lord  Holland  said  came  originally  from  John 
of  Gaunt,  was  adopted  by  Henry  VII.,  abolished  by 
James  I.,  and  restored  by  William  IV.  ;  spoke  of 
Macaws,  and  he  offered  me  one  which  belongs  to 
Lady  Holland.  Spoke  of  Nightingales  ;  Lord  Mel- 
bourne said  he  could  not  distinguish  its  song  from 
that  of  another  bird's  ;  that  it  could  be  mistaken  for 
a  wood-lark's,  which  Lord  Holland  denied,  and 
they  went  on  discussing  the  different  songs  of  birds  ; 
we   then   spoke   of   various   birds ;     of   nightingales 


1838]  A    STATE    BALL  317 

migrating  ;  of  how  wonderful  the  migration  of  birds 
was ;  Lord  Melbourne  did  not  think  it  so  incredible ; 
they  first  went  to  France,  he  said,  and  "  then  they 
slide  along  the  country."  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  9th  May. — Lord  Melbourne  said  he 
was  kept  in  the  House  of  Lords  till  8,  the  night 
before ;  that  Lord  Shrewsbury  ^  made  rather  a 
good  speech,  but  that  his  (Ld.  M.'s)  fear  was  that 
some  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Peers  might  refuse  to 
take  the  Oath  on  account  of  all  this  ;  and  then  "  we 
should  have  all  this  question  "  (the  Roman  Catholic) 
"  over  again." 

Thursday,  10th  May. — At  |  p.  10  the  doors  were 
opened  and  I  went  through  the  Saloon  into  the 
other  Ball-room  next  the  Dining-room  in  which  was 
Strauss's  band.  I  felt  a  little  shy  in  going  in,  but 
soon  got  over  it  and  went  and  talked  to  the  people. 
The  rooms  I  must  say  looked  beautiful,  were  so 
well  lit  up,  and  everything  so  well  done  ;  and  all 
done  in  one  day.  There  was  no  crowd  at  all ; 
indeed,  there  might  have  been  more  people.  The 
dining-room  looked  also  very  handsome  as  the 
supper-room.  The  Throne-room  was  arranged  for 
the  tea-room.  I  danced  (a  Quadrille  of  course,  as 
I  only  dance  quadrilles)  first  (in  the  large  ball- 
room) with  George  ^ ;  and  2ndly  with  Prince 
Nicholas    Esterhazy ;     there    was    a    valse    between 

^  John,  sixteenth  Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  Premier  Earl  of  England. 
This  question  of  the  oath  to  be  taken  by  Roman  Catholic  j^eers  and 
members  had  been  repeatedly  brought  forward  by  the  Bishop  of 
Exeter.  It  pledged  the  jurant  to  do  nothing  to  "  disturb  or  weaken 
the  Protestant  Religion  or  Protestant  Government,  or  to  subvert  the 
Church  establishment."  A  gentleman  wrote  to  the  Bishop  to  say  that 
he  could  not  take  the  oath,  eis  his  wish  was  to  upset  the  Church  establish- 
ment, and  he  was  therefore  excluded  from  Parliament.     See  ante,  p.  56. 

2  Prince  George  of  Cambridge.       See  ante,  p.  77. 


318  A    STATE    BALL  [^t.  is 

each  quadrille  ;  I  never  heard  anything  so  beautiful 
in  my  life  as  Strauss's  band.  We  then  went  into 
the  other  ball-room  where  I  danced  two  other 
quadrilles  with  Lord  Jocelyn  ^  and  Lord  Fitzalan  -  ; 
the  first  named  is  very  merry  and  funny.  When  I 
did  not  dance  (which  was  only  the  case  when  valzing 
went  on)  I  sat  with  Mamma  and  my  Aunts,  on  a  seat 
raised  one  step  above  the  floor.  Lady  Fanny 
Cowper  was  my  vis-a-vis  when  I  danced  with  Lord 
Jocelyn.  At  1  (after  my  quadrille  with  Lord  Fitz- 
alan) we  went  into  the  Supper-room.  After  supper 
we  went  into  the  large  Ball-room  where  we  remained 
till  the  last  quadrille  which  I  danced  in  Weippert's 
room.  I  danced  with  Lord  Cowper  (who  was  much 
less  shy  and  very  agreeable)  ;  Lord  TJxbridge  (who 
dances  remarkably  well)  ;  Lord  Douro  ;  Lord  Folke- 
stone '  (a  great  ally  of  mine)  ;  Lord  Suffield  ^ ;  and 
lastly  with  Lord  Morpeth.  There  was  a  great  deal 
of  beauty  there,  amongst  which  were  Lady  Ashley, 
Lady  Fanny  Cowper,  Lady  Wilhelmina  Stanhope, 
Lady  Seymour,^  Lady  Clanricarde,''  Lady  Mary 
Vyner,^  Lady  Norreys,**  Lady  Emm.a  Herbert,^  Lady 

^  Eldest  son  of  the  third  Earl  of  Roden,  and  died  in  his  father's 
lifetime.     In  1841  he  married  Lady  Fanny  Cowper.     See  ante,  p.  188. 

2  Grandson  of  the  Duke  of  Norfolk.     See  ante,  p.  190. 

'  Afterwards  fourth  Earl  of  Radnor.     See  ante,  p.  60. 

4  Edward  Vernon,  fotirth  Lord  Suffield  (1813-53). 

^  Georgiana,  Lady  Seymour,  Queen  of  Beauty  at  the  Eglinton 
Tournament.     One  of  the  Sheridan  sisters.     See  ante,  p.   192. 

®  Daughter  of  Mr.  Canning,  the  Prime  Minister,  and  wife  of  the 
first  Marquess  of  Clanricarde.     See  Vol.  II.  pp.  75  and  261. 

■^  Daughter  of  the  second  Earl  de  Grey,  K.G.,  and  sister  of  Lady 
Cowper.     She  was  married  to  Mr.  Henry  Vyner. 

8  Daughter  of  G.  G.  Vernon  Harcourt,  M.P.  Lord  Norreys  suc- 
ceeded in  1854  to  the  earldom  of  Abingdon.     See  ante,  p.  132. 

^  Daughter  of  the  eleventh  Earl  of  Pembroke,  afterwards  wife 
of  Viscount  de  Vesci.     See  ante,  ip.  17. 


1838]  THE    CHURCH    OF    IRELAND  319 

Clanwilliam,^  Lady  Mary  Grimston,^  Lady  Powers- 
court/  Miss  Maude/  Miss  Elphinstone/  Lady 
Fanny  was  twice  my  vis-a-vis,  as  was  also  Lady 
Adelaide  Paget.®  I  did  not  leave  the  ball-room  till 
10  m.  to  four  !  !  and  was  in  bed  by  \  p.  4, — the  sun 
shining.  It  was  a  lovely  ball,  so  gay,  so  nice, — and 
I  felt  so  happy  and  so  merry  ;  I  had  not  danced  for 
so  long  and  was  so  glad  to  do  so  again  !  One  only 
regret  I  had, — and  that  was,  that  my  excellent, 
kind,  good  friend.  Lord  Melbourne  was  not  there. 
I  missed  him  much  at  this  my  first  ball ;  he  would 
have  been  pleased  I  think  ! 

Friday,  11th  May. — Got  up  at  20  m.  p.  10  and 
breakfasted  at  J  p.  11.  Heard  from  my  good  Lord 
Melbourne  that  he  was  "  extremely  concerned  "  at 
not  having  been  able  to  come  to  the  Ball,  but  that 
"  he  felt  so  unwell  and  so  disturbed  "  that  he  was 
afraid  to  venture  ;  which  was  right  of  him,  though 
I  regret  it  so  much.  Heard  from  Lord  John  that 
"  Sir  Thomas  Acland  ^  gave  notice  yesterday  that 
he  should  move  on  Monday  to  rescind  the  resolution 
of  1835  resDccting  the  Church  of  Ireland.     The  De- 

J.  o 

bate  on  this  Question  must  lead  to  one  of  the  most 
severe  struggles  of  the  session  both  in  discussion  and 
in  the  Division.     Both  parties  have  nearly  all  their 

^  Sister  of  Lady  Emma  Herbert,  and  wife  of  the  third  Earl  of 
Clanwilliam. 

2  Daughter  of  the  first  Earl  of  Verulam.  She  married  Lord  Folke- 
stone (see  preceding  page)  in  1840.     See  ante,  p.  189. 

^  Sister  of  Lord  Jocelyn  (see  preceding  page)  and  wife  of  the  sixth 
Viscount  Powerscourt. 

*  Daughter  of  the  third  Viscount  Hawarden. 

^  Clementina,  sister  of  the  fourteenth  Lord  EljDhinstone,  afterwards 
wife  of  the  fom'th  Viscount  Hawarden. 

^  Daughter  of  Lord  Anglesey,  and  sister  of  Lord  Uxbridgo.  She 
married  in  1851  Frederick,  son  of  the  third  Earl  Cadogan. 

^  Sir  Thomas  Acland,  tenth  Bart. 


820  "USELESS    MOTIONS"  [^t.i8 

strength  in  London.  But  a  majority  for  Ministers, 
though  a  small  one,  is  tolerably  certain."  This  gave 
me  a  pang  which  somewhat  damped  my  very  light 
and  high  spirits.  We  spoke  for  a  long  time  about 
my  Ball — who  I  danced  with,  the  beauties,  and  the 
different  persons  there  ;  I  said  to  Lord  Melbourne 
the  moment  I  saw  him,  how  very  sorry  I  was  that 
he  had  not  come  last  night.  We  spoke  of  all  this  for 
some  time,  and  he  was  so  kind  about  it  all,  and  seemed 
to  take  quite  an  interest  in  it  all.  He  then  said,  "  They 
are  going  to  make  another  attack  upon  us  on  Monday  ; 
Sir  Thomas  Acland  has  given  notice  that  he  means 
to  make  a  motion  to  rescind  the  Resolutions  about 
the  Irish  Church  passed  in  1835,  upon  which  we 
came  in."  I  then  added  that  Lord  John  seemed 
certain  about  a  majority,  though  a  small  one  ;  Lord 
Melbourne  said  Sir  Thomas  Acland  was  a  conscien- 
tious and  not  very  violent  man,  and  consequently 
well  chosen  in  that  respect  to  make  a  good  effect. 
There  is  to  be  a  Cabinet  upon  it  tomorrow  at  1  ; 
and  Lord  John  is  going  to  have  a  Meeting  of  the 
Members  at  4.  All  this  distresses  me  much  ;  would 
to  God  !  none  of  'these  Motions,  which  are  so  useless, 
were  brought  on.  I  fervently  trust  however  that 
all  will  do  well.  Spoke  of  my  ball,  and  the  different 
people,  the  rooms  ;  he  asked  if  I  was  not  tired  ;  I 
said  not  the  least,  for  though  I  had  danced  a  great 
deal  I  did  not  valze,  as  I  did  not  think  it  would  do 

/  for  me  to  valze.  Lord  Melbourne  said  eagerly,  "  I 
think    you    are    quite    right ;     that's    quite    right." 

I  Lord  Melbourne  dines  with  me  tonight,  I'm  happy  to 
say.  I  showed  him  the  letter  I  meant  to  write  to 
the  King  of  Hanover,  which  he  quite  approved  of. 
Spoke  of  several  people  at  the  Ball  and  several  other 
things   concerning   it ;     of  Lord   Duncannon   who   is 


1838]  CORONATION    PREPARATIONS  321 

rather  better  but  still  very  poorly  ;  Lord  Melbourne 
does  not  like  his  being  so  long  ill,  and  suffering  with 
so  many  different  things  ;  there  is  a  disease  in  the 
sockets  of  his  teeth  which  become  quite  loose,  the 
teeth  themselves  being  quite  sound.  Lord  Mel- 
bourne said  the  Ponsonbys  were  generally  strong, 
and  lived  to  a  great  age  ;  that  the  present  Lord 
Bessborough's  father  lived  to  a  very  great  age ; 
Lord  Melbourne  said  he  was  the  man  of  whom  the 
following  anecdote  is  told  : — he  {that  Lord  Bess- 
borough)  was  playing  at  cards,  at  Picquet,  Lord  Mel- 
bourne thinks,  when  his  partner  dropped  down 
dead  ;  and  he  said  to  the  Waiter,  "  Remember,  if 
the  gentleman  recovers,  that  I've  got  such  and  such 
a  thing  in  my  hand."  .  .  .  Spoke  to  him  of  the 
Coronation,  and  of  the  different  people  who  were  to 
bear  the  Swords  (which  he  had  already  spoken  to 
me  of,  in  the  morning  ;  for  he  showed  me  then  a 
letter  from  the  Duke  of  Grafton  declining  to  take 
any  part  in  it,  as  he  only  meant  to  attend  as  a 
Peer).  He  (Ld.  Melbourne)  will  carry  the  Sword  of 
State  ;  the  Duke  of  Hamilton  ^  he  thinks  of  pro- 
posing to  carry  the  Crown  ;  the  Duke  of  Somerset  * 
the  Orb  ;  the  Dukes  of  Devonshire  and  Sutherland 
the  other  swords  ;  and  the  Duke  of  Roxburgh,* 
something  else.  But  nothing  is  as  yet  settled  with 
respect  to  all  this.  Spoke  of  my  reading  the  Des- 
patches, of  which  there  were  so  many. 

Saturday,  12th  May. — At  a  J  p.  1  came  Lord  Mel- 
bourne and  stayed  with  me  till  10  m.  to  2.  He  said 
he  was,  and  seemed,  much  better.  He  first  read  me 
a  Petition  from  the  Society  of  British  Artists,  wish- 

1  Alexander,  tenth  Duke  (1767-1852). 

2  Edward  Adolphus,  eleventh  Duke.     See  ante,  p.  68. 

3  James,  sixth  Duke  (1816-1879). 

1—22 


322  IRISH    CHURCH    DIFFICULTIES  [mt.is 

ing  me  to  go  to  their  Exhibition,  which  however  he 
said  was  quite  unnecessary.  He  then  said  they  were 
going  to  have  a  Cabinet  upon  this  motion,^  which  is 
to  take  place  on  Monday,  and  to  see  what  can  be 
done  upon  it.  Lord  Melbourne  then  explained  to 
me  in  the  clearest  manner  possible  all  about  it.  He 
told  me  that  : — In  1835,  Sir  Robert  Peel  found  him- 
self several  times  in  minorities  about  various  things 
which  I  forget ;  but  he  said  he  would  not  resign 
until  he  was  beat  upon  a  Question  relative  to  the 
Irish  Church  ;  when  he  brought  in  his  Bill  for  Irish 
Tithes,  the  resolution,  to  appropriate  the  surplus 
for  the  benefit  of  Moral  Education,  was  carried  against 
him  by  37, — and  he  resigned  ;  well,  the  present 
Government  came  in,  and  Lord  Melbourne  said, 
found  this  resolution  an  awkward  one,  and  that  there 
was  less  surplus  than  they  had  imagined  ;  they 
however  brought  forward  several  Acts,  and  also 
awkward  ones,  Lord  Melbourne  said,  which  were 
each  year  rejected  by  the  House  of  Lords.  Well, 
this  year  the  following  Bill  was  brought  in  (which 
Lord  Melbourne  thinks  a  very  good  one,  as  do  I, 
but  which  he  hears  will  meet  with  a  great  deal  of 
opposition),  which  is,  leaving  out  the  Appropriation 
Clause,  and  doing  away  with  the  surplus,  but  pro- 
posing to  pay  the  Irish  Church  out  of  the  funds  of 
the  Empire,  which  is  separating  the  Irish  Church 
from  the  Land,  and  keeping  it  up,  not  for  the  people, 
as  they  are  almost  all  Catholics,  but  for  the  Protest- 
ant feeling  in  the  country.  Now,  Lord  Melbourne 
says,  the  Church  don't  like  it,  as  they  think  it's 
making  the  Church  Stipendiary  and  is  separating  it 
too  much  from  the  Land,  and  the  violent  democrats 
dislike  it  as  they  think  it  is  giving  the  Church  too 

'  To  rescind  the  Irish  Church  resolution  of  1835. 


1838]  GOVERNMENT    DIFFICULTIES  323 

much  support.  Lord  Melbourne  observes  that  the 
opposition  will  be  so  considerable  from  these  two 
Parties  that  he  thinks  it  will  hardly  be  possible  for 
us  to  carry  this  measure.  Now,  it  is  upon  this 
measure  being  proposed  on  Monday  that  this  Motion 
or  amendment  is  to  be  made  :  "to  rescind  the  re- 
solution of  '35  "  ;  "  that  is,"  as  Lord  Melbourne  said, 
"  to  do  away  with  it,  to  scratch  it  out  of  the 
Journals."  Lord  Melbourne  said  that  if  this  should 
be  carried  against  us,  it  will  be  almost  fatal  to  the 
Government ;  he  added  that  it  is  one  of  those 
awkward  sort  of  questions  in  Politics,  which  it  is 
very  difficult  to  get  over,  and  at  the  same  time 
hardly  possible  to  resign  upon  ;  "  it  is  not  good 
ground  to  resign  upon,"  he  said,  "  it  would  not  be 
understood  by  the  people,  they  would  not  sympathise 
with  you."  He  continued — but  that  Lord  John 
might  consider  his  honour  at  stake,  and  might  re- 
sign upon  it,  which  Lord  Melbourne  said  he  almost 
thought  he  would,  but  that  he  would  hear  that  at 
the  Cabinet  today.  He  added,  "  If  we  have  a 
Majority,  why  then  it's  all  well."  I  observed  that 
Lord  John  seemed  to  think  that  likely.  Lord  Mel- 
bourne said  he  certainly  thought  we  should  ;  but 
from  the  nature  of  the  House  it  made  it  "  ticklish  " 
and  "  nervous  "  ;  which,  God  knows  !  it  does.  He 
says  the  Irish  Poor  Law  Bill  will  not  meet  with  much 
opposition  in  the  House  of  Lords,  except  from  the 
Irish  Peers  ;  Lord  Londonderry  ^  means  to  oppose 
it  very  violently.  Sir  Robert  Peel  has  a  great  dinner 
today,  given  to  him  by  his  followers.  Lord  Mel- 
bourne said  he  would  let  me  know  what  took  place 

^  Charles  William,  third  Marquess,  half-brother  of  the  eminent 
statesman,  better  remembered  as  Lord  Castlereagh.  Lord  London- 
derry was  a  soldier  and  diplomatist. 


324  SINGING    OF    BIRDS  [^t.  is 

at  the  Cabinet ;  and  if  there  was  anything  very 
particular  he  would  come  himself.  He  dines  at  the 
Speaker's  tonight.  I  cannot  say  (though  I  feel 
confident  of  our  success)  how  low,  how  sad  I  feel, 
when  I  think  of  the  possibility  of  this  excellent  and 
truly  kind  man  (Lord  Melbourne)  not  remaining  my 
Minister  !  Yet  I  trust  fervently  that  He  who  has 
so  wonderfully  protected  me  through  such  manifold 
difficulties  will  not  now  desert  me  !  I  should  have 
liked  to  have  expressed  to  Lord  Melbourne  my 
anxiety,  but  the  tears  were  nearer  than  words 
throughout  the  time  I  saw  him,  and  I  felt  I  should 
have  choked,  had  I  attempted  to  say  anything. 

Sunday,  ISth  May. — In  speaking  of  the  singing 
of  birds,  which  Lord  Melbourne  said  he  never 
could  make  out  one  from  another,  he  said,  "  I 
never  can  admire  the  singing  of  birds ;  there's 
no  melody  in  it ;  it's  so  shrill ;  that's  all  hum- 
bug ;  it's  mere  Poetry ;  it  is  not  pretty."  This 
made  us  laugh ;  he  likes  the  Blackbird's  singing 
best.  He  said  that  people  say  there  is  no  differ- 
ence between  the  song  of  a  ground-lark  and  the 
nightingale.  I  observed  that  Lord  Holland  said 
there  was.  "  Oh  !  "  he  said,  "  I  don't  think  Lord 
Holland  knows  anything  about  it."  "  It's  very 
odd,"  he  continued,  "  Mr.  Fox,  and  Lord  Holland 
the  same,  like  the  singing  of  birds,  and  can't  bear 
music,  nor  the  Human  Voice."  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  15th  May. —  .  .  .  Heard  from  Lord  John 
*'  that  he  yesterday  brought  forward  the  question 
of  Irish  Tithes  in  a  speech  of  two  hours,  in  which 
he  endeavoured  to  review  the  whole  subject.  Sir 
Thomas  Acland  then  moved  to  rescind  the  resolu- 
tion of  1835.  He  spoke  temperately  and  well.  Lord 
Stanley  made  a  short  speech  professing  a  desire  to 


1838]  THE    FITZCLARENCE    PENSIONS  325 

settle  the  Question  ;  Lord  Morpeth  finished  the  de- 
bate for  the  night  with  a  very  vigorous  and  very 
effective  speech.  The  division  will  probably  take 
place  tonight,  and  may  be  rather  early."  Lord 
Melbourne  told  me  yesterday  that  he  thought  Sir 
Robert  Peel's  speech  at  the  dinner  on  Saturday  very 
moderate  ;  but  that  the  whole  thing  seemed  to  have 
been  "  rather  flat."  .  .  .  Lord  Melbourne  said  he 
did  not  know  what  the  Council  (today)  was  to  be 
about ;  I  said  neither  did  I  know,  but  that  it  was 
Lord  Glenelg  who  wished  for  it.  "  They  always  run 
everything  so  very  late  in  that  Colonial  Office,"  he 
said ;  that  they  never  thought  when  they  would 
want  a  Council,  and  when  they  did,  they  said  they 
wanted  it  immediately,  and  always  upon  the  most 
inconvenient  days  ;  that  to-day  Avas  a  most  incon- 
venient day  for  the  Members  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons. .  .  .  Lord  Melbourne  said  that  Lord  Munster 
had  been  to  see  him  this  morning,  about  their  (the 
Fitzclarences')  Pensions,  on  the  Civil  List,  which 
there  was  some  fear  the  Committee  might  make  some 
difficulty  about,  which  Lord  Melbourne  said  would 
be  very  hard  ;  Lord  Munster  came  to  show  Lord 
Melbourne  the  letter  he  meant  to  write  (to  Mr. 
Rice,  I  think)  about  it.  This  pension  was  granted 
them  by  George  IV.  Lord  Munster  told  Lord  Mel- 
bourne that  the  late  King  always  imagined  that 
Lord  Egremont  ^  would  leave  Lord  Munster  a  great 
deal ;  and  whenever  he  gave  Lord  Munster  anything, 
he  used  to  write  to  Lord  Egremont  to  tell  him  he 
had  done  so,   which  Lord  Egremont  did  not  at  all 

1  George    O'Brien,    third    Earl    of    Egremont,    died   ixnmarried   in 
November  1837,  aged  eighty-six.     Lady  Munster  was  his  illegitimate 
daughter,    but   his   estates   in   Sussex  and   Cumberland   were  devised 
to  other  adopted  heirs. 
1—22* 


826  ELECTION    COMMITTEE    BILL  [^et.is 

like  and  said,  "  This  is  a  scheme  from  the  beginning," 
meaning  that  the  King  promoted  the  match  on 
account  of  the  money.  Lord  Melbourne  said,  "  Lord 
Egremont  was  a  very  good  man  but  rather  sus- 
picious "  ;  from  always  having  had  a  very  large 
fortune  he  fancied  people  wanted  to  get  it  from  him. 
He  gave  Lord  Munster  £5,000  about  a  fortnight 
before  he  died.  Spoke  of  this  new  Election  Com- 
mittee Bill  which  Sir  Robert  Peel  asked  for  leave  to 
bring  in.  He  proposes  that  at  the  beginning  of  each 
session  the  Speaker  should  name  6  or  4  Members 
who  should  then  choose  the  Committees  to  try  the 
Elections.  Formerlv,  as  Lord  Melbourne  told  me 
once  before,  the  Elections  used  to  be  tried  by  the 
whole  House,  and  it  was  considered  such  a  mark  of 
want  of  confidence  in  the  Ministers  if  their  Member 
was  unseated,  that  Sir  Robert  Walpole  resigned 
when  the  Member  for  Chippenham  was  unseated. 
When  this  became  "  too  flagrant  "  Lord  Melbourne 
said,  George  Grenville,  great-grandfather  to  the 
present  Duke  of  Buckingham,  made  what  is  called 
"  the  Grenville  Act,"  which  is  as  they  are  tried  now ; 
viz.  the  Speaker  draws  40  names  from  glasses,  with 
which  Lists  the  different  parties  retire  and  strike 
off  names  from  each  list  until  they  get  it  down  to 
15 ;  and  that's  the  Committee.  Now  this.  Lord 
Melbourne  said,  is  found  to  be  partial,^  and  a  new 
mode  must  be  devised. 

Lord  Melbourne  said  Lord  Redesdale  ^  brought 

1  An  extreme  instance  of  this  partiality  is  described  in  Warren's 
Ten  Thousand  a  Year.  In  1868  the  jurisdiction  to  decide  disputed 
elections  was  transferred  to  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas. 

2  John  Thomas,  first  and  only  Earl  of  Redesdale  (1805-86),  Chair- 
man of  Committees  in  the  House  of  Lords,  1851-86.  Lord  Redesdale 
was  one  of  the  last  men  in  England  who  wore  habiti.  Uy  in  the  day- 
time the  old-fashioned  "  tail-coat." 


v^- 


H.S.H.    PRINCE    FERDINAND    OF   SAXE-COBURG, 

AFTERWARDS    KING     CONSORT    OF    PORTUGAL. 
From  a  sketch  by  Princess  Victoria. 


I 


1838]  PORTUGAL    AND    SLAVERY  827 

him  the  Duke  of  Wellington's  letter  yesterday. 
Lord  Melbourne  had  seen  Lord  John  this  morning, 
who  thinks  we  shall  only  have  a  majority  of  11  to- 
night, and  that  Mr.  Hobhouse  said  we  should  have 
more  in  order  to  delude  us  into  security. 

Wednesday,  16ih  May. — Got  up  at  10  and  heard 
from  Lord  John  that  on  a  Division  we  had  a  majority 
of  19,  which  he  said  was  more  than  he  expected. 
How  thankful  I  am  and  feel  !  Lord  Melbourne 
said  he  heard  that  Ferdinand  was  annoyed  at  our 
pressing  the  Portuguese  Government  about  the 
Slave  Trade  ;  and  that  it  would  be  well,  if  I  were 
to  state  to  Ferdinand  that  the  feeling  was  so  strong 
in  this  country  about  Slavery,  and  we  were  so 
pressed  about  it,  that  it  was  impossible  for  us  to 
do  otherwise.  I  spoke  to  Lord  Melbourne  of  these 
Resolutions  relative  to  the  Irish  Tithe  Bill,  which  I 
thought  excellent,  but  which  he  said  a  very  great 
number  of  people  were  against.  I  observed  that 
Lord  John  had  told  me  at  Windsor  that  he  thought 
we  should  not  carry  it,  but  that  it  might  be  com- 
promised. Lord  Melbourne  then  again  repeated 
that  the  Established  Church  was  generally  kept  up 
for  the  Poor,  as  the  rich  could  afford  that  them- 
selves ;  whereas  in  Ireland,  700,000  are  Roman 
Catholics,  and  the  Established  Church  is  only  kept 
up  for  the  Protestant  feeling  in  the  United  Kingdom, 
and  not  for  the  Poor  who  are  almost  all  Roman 
Catholics.  I  then  asked  about  who  should  stand 
Sponsor  in  my  place  at  the  Christening  of  Col.  and 
Lady  Catharine  Buckley's  ^  little  boy,  who  is  to  be 
christened  down  in  the  New  Forest  where  they  lived. 
I  said  the  child   was  to  be  called   Victor,   which  I 

1  Lady  Catharine  was  daughter  of  the  third  Earl  of  Radnor,  and 
Victor  was  her  fifth  son.     See  ante,  p.  219. 


828  PARLIAMENTARY    BUSINESS  [.et.is 

thought  an  ugly  name  ;  he  did  not,  and  said  laugh- 
ing that  "  Sir  Victor  Buckley  "  would  sound  very 
well.  .  .  . 

Friday,  18th  May. — We  spoke  of  various  things  ;  I 
asked  him  if  he  liked  my  headdress  which  was  done 
in  plaits  round  my  ears,^  for  I  know  in  general  he  only 
likes  the  hair  in  front  crepe  in  2  puffs.  He  said, 
looking  at  me  and  making  one  of  his  funny  faces, 
"  It's  pretty  ;  isn't  it  rather  curious — something 
new  ?  " 

Saturday,  19th  May. — At  a  little  after  2  I  rode  out 
with  Mamma,  Lord  Uxbridge,  Lord  Torrington,  Lady 
Forbes,  dearest  Lehzen,  Lord  Alfred,  Miss  Dillon, 
Mr.  Murray,  Lord  Headfort,  Lady  Flora,  Miss  Quen- 
tin,  and  Col.  Cavendish,  and  came  home  at  6  m. 
to  5.  I  rode  dear  little  Uxbridge  who  went  perfectly. 
We  met  Lord  Melbourne  in  going  out,  who  was 
riding  his  pony.  We  rode  out  by  the  Harrow  Road 
and  home  by  the  Uxbridge  Road  and  Park.  Heard 
from  Lord  John  that  "  he  yesterday  stated  to  the 
House  of  Commons  the  course  respecting  the  Irish 
Bills,  which  he  had  the  honour  to  explain  to  Your 
Majesty  yesterday.  Sir  Robert  Peel  asked  for  a 
delay  till  Friday,  and  appeared  much  agitated  ;  but 
what  afterwards  fell  from  him  gives  every  reason  to 
suppose  that  the  Municipal  Corporations  Bill  will  not 
be  opposed.  Nor  is  it  probable  that  the  Irish  Tithe 
Bill  will  meet  with  resistance  from  the  Radical  party 
in  the  House  of  Commons.  The  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer  made  a  very  clear  financial  statement, 
and  the  deficiency  of  the  Revenue  being  before 
known,  no  disappointment  was  caused  by  the  an- 
nouncement.      Should     matters    proceed    smoothly 

^  There  is  a  portrait  of  the  Queen  by  John  Partridge  in  King  George's 
room  at  Buckingham  Palace  showing  the  hair  done  in  this  fashion. 


1838]  A    DINNER    MISTAKE  829 

another  fortnight  will  end  the  chief  party  questions  in 
the  House  of  Commons."  This  was  delightful  news. 
..."  Very  nice  party  "  (my  Concert),  Lord  M.  said, 
"  and  everybody  very  much  pleased."  I  smiled  and 
said  I  feared  I  had  done  it  very  ill ;  that  I  was  quite 
angry  with  myself  and  thought  I  had  done  it  so 
ill ;  and  was  not  civil  enough.  He  said  most  kindly, 
"  Oh  1  no,  quite  the  contrary,  for  I  should  have  told 
you  if  it  had  been  otherwise."  I  then  said  I  had 
felt  so  nervous  and  shy.  "  That  wasn't  at  all 
observed,"  he  said.  I  said  that  I  often  stood  before 
a  person  not  knowing  what  to  say ;  and  Lord 
Melbourne  said  that  the  longer  one  stood  thinking 
the  worse  it  was  ;  and  he  really  thought  the  best 
thing  to  do  was  to  say  anything  commonplace  and 
foolish,  better  than  to  say  nothing. 

Sunday,  20th  May. — Lord  Melbourne  was  in  de- 
lightful spirits  and  so  talkative  and  so  kind  and  so 
VERY  AGREEABLE  throughout  the  evening.  I  almost 
fear  therefore  (in  consequence  of  our  having  talked  so 
much)  that  I  may  have  forgotten  some  of  the  things 
we  talked  about.  I  asked  him  if  he  had  dined  at 
Lord  Shrewsbury's  the  night  before  ;  he  said  no, 
that  it  was  all  a  mistake  ;  he  went  there,  was  shown 
upstairs,  where  he  found  Lord  Shrewsbury  alone 
with  his  books  and  papers,  who  said  that  all  his 
family  were  gone  to  the  Opera  ;  Lord  Melbourne 
said,  "  I  came  to  dine  here  "  ;  upon  which  Lord  S. 
told  him  that  it  was  next  Saturday  ;  Lord  Melbourne 
said  it  was  very  stupid  of  himself  to  forget  it,  as 
Lord  Shrewsbury  had  put  off  the  dinner  on  account 
of  him.  He  walked  home,  found  his  people  at  home, 
got  his  dinner  in  |  an  hour,  and  went  to  his  sister's. 
Spoke  of  the  Preachers  being  so  badly  appointed  at 
the  Chapel  Royal,  which  Lord  Melbourne  said  was 


330  TALLEYRAND'S    DEATH  [iEx.is 

a  great  pity,  as  it  would  have  been  such  "  an  instru- 
ment of  good  "  if  it  had  been  the  contrary.  We 
looked  at  some  prints,  and  amongst  others  there  was 
a  very  clever  one  of  Capt.  Macheath  with  Polly  and 
Lucy  in  The  Beggar's  Opera  ;  Lord  Melbourne  said 
that  The  Beggar's  Opera  was  written  by  Gay,  and 
was  used  by  the  Tory  Party  in  order  to  show  up 
Lord  Townshend  ^  and  Sir  Robert  Walpole  ;  was 
very  clever,  and  had  an  immense  run  ;  but  is  coarse 
beyond  conception  ;  it  was  likewise  performed  with 
great  success  when  Lord  Sandwich  brought  forward 
an  indictment  against  Mr.  Wilkes  for  immorality. 
Of  Lord  Teynham  ^  wanting  to  have  a  Private 
Audience  of  me,  which  Lord  Melbourne  stopped  ; 
he  said  Peers  are  only  allowed  to  have  these  Private 
Audiences  to  speak  on  Public  Affairs,  and  not  on 
Private  concerns  ;  that  when  the  Regent  wanted  to 
prevent  Lady  Jersey  going  so  often  to  see  Princess 
Charlotte,  Lord  Jersey  asked  for  a  Private  audience  ; 
and  the  Regent  said  to  him,  "  Of  course  you  come 
to  speak  of  Public  matters,  for  if  you  come  to  speak 
about  your  wife,  I  cannot  speak  to  you,"  and  he 
spoke  to  him  upon  ordinary  matters  and  dismissed 
him.     Talleyrand  is  dead — at  last ! 

Monday,  2\st  May. — Spoke  of  Talleyrand's  death, 
which  Lord  Melbourne  said  he  heard  was  quite  like 
that  of  the  former  French  Ministers — like  Mazarin — 
the  house  full  of  people  to  see  him  die.  He  (Ld. 
Melbourne)  said  he  had  heard  tliat  Louis  Philippe 

1  Charles,  second  Viscount  Townshend,  K.G.,  married  Dorothy, 
sister  of  Sir  Robert  Walpole.  Townshend  was  President  of  the  Coun- 
cil 1720,  and  afterwards  Secretary  of  State.  There  was  jealousy 
between  the  brothers-in-law,  and  Horace  Walpole  sarcastically  ob- 
served that  things  went  well  or  ill  according  as  the  style  of  the  firm 
was  Toumshend  and  Walpole  or  Walpole  and  Toumshend. 

2  Henry  Francis,  fourteenth  Baron  Teynham  (1768-1842). 


1838]  TWENTIETH    BIRTHDAY  831 

and  Mme.  Adelaide  had  been  to  see  Talleyrand. 
Spoke  of  his  fear  of  dying,  which  Lord  Melbourne 
said  people  always  said  of  persons  whose  feelings  on 
religion  were  rather  loose.  Lord  Melbourne  said  he 
heard  that  Talleyrand  had  signed  a  sort  of  recan- 
tation to  the  Pope,  for  something  he  had  done,  at 
the  time  of  the  Revolution — for  having  performed 
Mass  upon  some  occasion  or  other.^  .  .  . 

Thursday,  2Uh  May. — I  this  day  enter  my  20th 
year,  which  I  think  very  old  !  In  looking  back  on 
the  past  year,  I  feel  more  grateful  than  I  can  express 
for  ALL  the  VERY  GREAT  BLESSINGS  I  have  received 
since  my  last  birthday.  I  have  only  one  very  dear 
affectionate  friend  less— dearest  Louis  !  Oh  !  if  she 
could  but  be  still  with  us  !  !  Though  I  have  lost 
a  dear  friend,  I  can  never  be  thankful  enough  for 
the  true,  faithful,  honest,  kind  one  I've  gained  since 
last  year,  which  is  my  excellent  Lord  Melbourne,  who 
is  so  kind  and  good  to  me  !  !  .  .  .  At  25  m.  p.  10 
I  went  with  the  whole  Royal  Family  into  the  other 
Ball-room  through  the  Saloon  which  was  full  of 
people  ;  after  speaking  to  a  good  many  I  went  to 
my  seat  (without  sitting  down)  and  then  opened  the 
Ball  in  a  Quadrille  with  George.^  There  were  about 
the  same  number  of  people  there  as  at  the  1st  Ball, 
and  a  great  number  of  Foreigners  there.  My  good 
Lord  Melbourne  came  up  to  me  after  my  1st  Quad- 
rille, but  only  stopped  one  minute,  and  though  I 
saw  him  looking  on  at  3  of  the  Quadrilles  I  danced 
afterwards,  he  never  came  near  me  again,  which  I 
was  very  sorry  for  ;  and  when  I  sent  for  him  after 
supper,  he  was  gone.  .  .  .  After  supper  I  danced  4 

1  At  the  festival  of  the  14th  July,  1790,  held  in  the  Champ  de  Mars 
he  officiated  at  the  altar.     It  was  his  last  celebration  of  the  Mass. 

2  Prince  George  of  Cambridge. 


832  A    STATE    BALL  [jet.  19 

Quadrilles  in  Strauss's  room ;  he  was  playing  most 
beautifully.  I  danced  with  Lord  George  Paget,' 
Lord  Cantelupe,'  Lord  Milton,'  and  liord  Leveson. 
Count  Eugene  Zichy  (cousin  to  Countess  Zichy's 
husband)  wore  a  most  beautiful  uniform  all  covered 
with  splendid  turquoises  ;  he  is  a  handsome  man, 
with  a  very  good-natured  expression,  as  he  is  too, 
very  unaffected  and  good-humoured,  and  a  beautiful 
valzer.  We  tlien  went  into  the  other  room,  and 
danced  a  regular  old  English  Country  Dance  of  72 
couple,  which  lasted  1  hour,  from  3  till  4  !  I  danced 
with  Lord  Uxbridge,  Lord  Cantelupe  and  Lady 
Cowper  being  next,  and  the  Duke  of  Devonshire 
and  Lady  Lothian  *  on  the  other  side.  It  was  the 
merriest,  most  delightful  thing  possible.  I  left  the 
Ball  room  at  10  m.  p.  4,  and  was  in  bed  at  5 — 
broad  daylight.  It  was  a  delightful  Ball,  and  the 
pleasantest  birthday  I've  spent  for  many  years  !  .  .  . 
Monday,  28th  May. — Spoke  of  writing  to  George 
of  Hanover,^  which  he  said  I  should  do  ;  and  also 
to  the  King  of  Hanover  for  his  birthday  ;    spoke  of 

1  Sixth  son  of  Lord  Anglesey.  He  was  second  in  command,  to 
Lord  Cardigan,  of  the  Light  Cavaky  Brigade  in  the  Crimea  ;  he  sub- 
sequently became  Inspector  of  Cavalry,  and  later  M.P.  for  Beaumaris. 

2  Eldest  son  of  the  fifth  Earl  de  la  Warr.     See  ante,  p.  60. 

3  Afterwards  sixth  Earl  FitzwilUam,  K.G.,  and  A.D.C.  to  the 
Queen. 

*  She  was  younger  daughter  of  the  second  Earl  Talbot,  and  wife 
of  the  seventh  Marquess  of  Lothian. 

°  Prince  George,  born  1819,  succeeded  his  father  on  the  throne  of 
Hanover  in  1851.  He  ultimately  suffered  from  total  bUndness,  caused 
by  swinging  a  bunch  of  keys  attached  to  a  chain,  that  struck  acci- 
dentally one  of  his  eyes.  He  sided  \vith  Austria  in  1866  against 
Prussia,  and  after  Sadowa  his  kingdom  was  annexed  to  Prussia  by 
decree.  King  George  was  a  Ivnight  of  the  Garter  and  Duke  of  Cum- 
berland. He  was  a  Prince  of  amiable  disposition  and  simple  manners. 
At  his  death  he  was  succeeded  in  the  dukedom  by  his  eldest  son,  who 
married  the  younger  sister  of  Queen  Alexandra. 


1838]  ROYAL    MARRIAGES  833 

the  report  of  poor  George's  marrying  a  Russian 
Princess.  He  then  continued  saying  it  would  raise 
a  curious  question,  "  his  marrying  a  Greek "  (of 
the  Greek  rehgion  it  is)  ;  for  he  beheved  that  only 
marrying  Roman  Catholics  was  forbidden  by  law 
here  (George  being  in  the  succession  here).  I  said 
I  thought  it  was  said,  all  who  were  not  of  the  Re- 
formed Religion,  without  naming  specifically  (Greek, 
he  says,  he  supposes  is  included  under  Roman 
Catholics)  Roman  Catholic.  Lord  Melbourne  said  I 
might  be  right,  for  that  he  had  not  looked  at  the 
Act  for  some  time.  He  said  he  believed  also  that 
George  could  not  marry  without  my  leave.^ 

Tuesday,  29th  May. — I  told  him  that  Lord  Glenelg 
had  made  me  a  present  of  a  Black  Swan  ;  Lord 
Melbourne  said  that  a  Black  Swan  was  not  a  Swan  ; 
"  It's  a  Goose."  Lady  Mulgrave  said  the  Ancients 
had  Black  Swans,  and  to  prove  it  began  quoting  the 
lines  from  the  Latin  Grammar,  which  Lord  Melbourne 
then  repeated,  and  which  I  used  to  learn  :  "  Rara 
avis  in  terris,  nigroque  simillima  cygno."  Lord 
Melbourne  said,  that  meant  to  describe  something 
very  rare,  and  which  did  not  exist.  I  said  to  Lord 
Melbourne  I  was  very  glad  to  hear  that  he  would 
come  down  to  Windsor  for  the  Eton  Montem.  He 
said,  "  It's  quite  right  to  go,  but  I  don't  think 
it's  a  very  pleasant  thing,  the  Montem  ;  rather 
foolish  "  ;  and  we  spoke  of  the  Regatta  on  the  4th 
of  June,  to  which  I'm  not  going.  "  The  Regatta 
as  you  call  it,"  he  said  to  Lady  Mulgrave  ;  "  The 
Boats  "  it  used  always  to  be  called.  That  is  in 
fact  done  without  the  consent  of  the  Masters,  and 
all  the  boys  were  generally  flogged  next  day.     Lord 

^  According  to  the  Royal  Marriages  Act,  none  of  the  Royal  Family 
can  marry  without  the  Sovereign's  consent.     See  podt,  p.  390. 


334  ETON    CUSTOMS  [^t.i9 

Melbourne  has  not  been  to  a  Montem  since  1809. 
In  speaking  of  the  head  Colleger  who  generally  is 
made  the  Captain,  he  said  he  was  usually  a  big 
boy  about  19  ;  "  More  foolish  than  a  boy,"  Lord 
Melbourne  said  laughing ;  and  that  the  expenses 
were  generally  so  great,  and  the  boy  so  extravagant 
for  some  time  before,  that  he  seldom  cleared  any- 
thing. I  said  the  Montem  generally  ended  in  the 
boys'  being  sick  and  drunk  ;  Lord  Melbourne  said 
in  his  funny  manner,  he  thought  in  these  days  of 
education,  no  boys  ever  got  drunk  or  sick — which  I 
fear  is  not  the  case.  He  said  all  this  eating  and 
drinking,  "  all  the  chocolate  and  tea  and  coffee  " 
for  breakfast,  had  got  up  since  his  time  ;  that  when 
he  was  at  Eton,  they  used  to  cut  a  roll  in  half  and 
put  a  pat  of  butter  inside  it  and  give  it  to  you,  and 
that  you  then  might  drink  a  glass  of  milk  and  water 
(for  breakfast)  ;  "I  never  could  take  milk,  and 
therefore  I  always  took  water,"  he  said,  "  and  we 
did  very  well  "  ;  much  better  he  thinks  than  they 
do  now.  He  said  that  he  remembered  people  always 
gave  children  what  they  disliked  most  ;  he  used 
(before  he  went  to  school)  to  have  every  day  boiled 
mutton  and  rice  pudding,  which  he  hated  ;  "  Chil- 
dren's stomachs  are  rather  squeamish,"  he  said  ; 
and  boiled  mutton  is  particularly  nauseous  to  a 
child,  he  observed  ;  and  he  hated  rice  pudding. 
"  Somehow  or  other,"  he  said,  "  they  found  out  you 
disliked  it,  and  there  it  was  every  day  "  ;  this,  he 
thinks  (and  everybody  else  almost,  I  think,  ought 
to  do  so),  a  bad  sj^stem.  He  added,  "  Children's 
stomachs  are  rather  delicate  and  queasy  "  ;  which 
made  us  all  laugh. 

Thursday,  Slst  May. — He  said  that  Lord  Mulgrave 
was  very  anxious  about  being  made  a  Marquis  at 


1838]  CORONATION    HONOURS  335 

the  Coronation,  and  that  he  supposed  it  must  be 
done,  but  that  it  would  offend  other  Earls  ;  he  added 
that  there  was  great  difficulty  about  making  these 
Peers, — but  tliat  he  must  soon  lay  the  list  before 
me.  "  I  shall  advise  Your  Majesty  to  make  as  few 
as  possible,"  he  added.  It  would  not  do,  he  said, 
to  make  any  Members  of  the  House  of  Commons 
Peers,  on  account  of  vacating  their  seats.  Lord 
Dundas  wishes  to  be  made  an  Earl,  he  says,  which 
he  supposes  should  be  granted  ;  and  Lord  Barham 
wishes  to  be  made  Earl  of  Gainsborough.^  Wil- 
liam IV.  made  IC  Peers  and  24  Baronets  at  his 
Coronation  ;  and  George  IV.  15  Peers  ;  "he  was  so 
clogged  with  promises,"  Lord  Melbourne  said,  "  he 
had  made  such  heaps  of  promises.' 


55 


^  Lord  Mulgrave  and  Lord  Dundas  were  created  respectively 
Marquis  of  Nornianby  and  Earl  of  Zetland,  but  Lord  Barham  was 
not  made  Earl  of  Gainsborough  till  ISil. 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE  TO  CHAPTER  X 

The  three  summer  months  of  1838  were  eventful  in  the  Hfe  of 
the  young  Queen.  It  is  not  only  that  she  attended  an  Eton 
Montem  (that  quaint  ceremony  so  graphically  described  in 
Coningsby  by  one  who  was  in  future  years  to  be  her  Prime 
Minister),  and  not  only  that  she  held  her  first  Review  in  Hyde 
Park  (which  was  somewhat  of  a  disappointment  to  her  owing 
to  Lord  Melbourne  having  dissuaded  her  from  riding  on  horse- 
back), but  on  the  28th  June  she  was  crowned  in  Westminster 
Abbey.  There  have  been  many  accounts  from  eye-witnesses 
of  the  Coronation  of  British  Sovereigns.  Volumes  have  been 
written  on  the  subject  from  the  earliest  times.  Even  the  im- 
mortal pen  of  Shakespeare  has  touched  upon  this  great  ceremonial. 
Queen  Victoria's  description,  however,  is  unique  in  this,  that  the 
writer  is  the  Sovereign  herself,  and  that  the  Coronation  is  painted 
from  the  point  of  view  of  the  central  figure  in  the  picture.  Owing 
to  the  extreme  youth  of  the  Queen,  her  childlike  appearance, 
her  fairness  and  fragility,  and  the  romance  attaching  to  her  sex, 
owing  also  to  her  dignity,  simplicity,  and  composure  amid  that 
vast  concourse  in  the  setting  of  the  great  Abbey,  surrounded 
as  she  was  by  every  circumstance  of  pomp  and  splendour,  and 
overweighted,  as  it  seemed,  by  the  tremendous  and  glittering 
responsibility  of  St.  Edward's  Crown,  the  ceremony  appeared  to 
onlookers  extraordinarily  moving.  The  Queen  noticed  that 
Lord  Melbourne  was  deejily  stirred.  He  was  one  of  the  many 
who  were  in  tears. 

To  the  thousands  who  saw  her  on  this  occasion  for  the  first 
time  and  to  the  millions  who  read  the  story  of  the  Coronation, 
the  28th  June,  1838,  appeared  to  be  the  opening  day  of  Queen 
Victoria's  reign.  Who,  among  those  present  in  the  Abbey  or  in 
the  streets  of  the  metropolis,  could  foresee  what  her  reign  was  to 
bring  forth,  and  who  could  measure  with  any  degree  of  accuracy 
the  progress  of  the  country  she  was  about  to  rule,  or  the  growth 
of  the  Empire  over  which  she  was  destined  to  preside,  between 
the  day  when  the  Crown  was  placed  upon  her  head,  and  the  day 
when  it  was  borne  away  by  her  sorrowing  servants  from  the 
Mausoleum  at  Frogmore  sixty-three  years  afterwards  ? 

"  The  guns  are  just  announcing,"  wrote  Queen  Adelaide  to 
her  niece,  "  your  approach  to  the  Abbey,  and  as  I  am  not  near  you, 
and  cannot  take  part  in  the  sacred  ceremony  of  your  Coronation, 
I  must  address  you  in  writing  to  assure  you  that  my  thoughts  and 
my  whole  heart  are  with  you,  and  my  prayers  are  offered  up  to 
heaven  for  your  happiness  and  the  prosperity  and  glory  of  your 
reign."  The  answer  to  this  prayer  for  the  young  Queen  is  to  be 
found  in  the  story  of  her  reign,  and  it  is  written  large  in  golden 
letters  across  the  face  of  her  Empire. 

336 


CHAPTER    X 

1838  (continued) 

Friday,  1st  June. — I  also  told  Lord  Melbourne  that 
I  quite  approved  of  what  he  had  written  to  me  (also 
in  the  afternoon)  about  the  Homage  at  the  Corona- 
tion ;  namely,  that  the  Peers  should  kiss  my  hand ; 
Lord  Melbourne  smiled  when  I  said  this.  Lord  Mel- 
bourne had  left  Lady  Holland  in  a  great  fright, 
fearing  there  would  be  a  thunderstorm,  of  which  she 
is  dreadfully  afraid.  We  spoke  of  thunderstorms, 
of  people  being  afraid  of  them,  of  there  being  always 
a  certain  degree  of  danger  ;  of  the  danger  of  stand- 
ing under  a  tree.  I  told  Lord  Melbourne  I  never 
could  forgive  him  for  having  stood  under  a  tree  in  | 
that  violent  thunderstorm  at  Windsor  last  year  ;  he  ^- 
said,  "  It's  a  hundred  to  one  that  you're  not  struck," 
and  then  added  smiling  :  "  It's  a  sublime  death." 
Spoke  ...  of  Lord  Durham  for  some  time,  of  whose 
arrival  we  think  we  must  soon  hear.  Lord  Melbourne 
said,  "  I'll  bet  you  he'll  go  by  Bermuda,"  which 
would  be  a  good  deal  out  of  his  way  ;  I  asked  Lord 
Melbourne  what  could  make  Lord  Durham  wish  to 
go  there.  He  replied,  "  I'm  sure  I  don't  know  why 
he's  got  it  into  his  head,  but  I'll  bet  you  he'll  go 
there."  Spoke  of  my  fear  that  Lord  Melbourne  was 
right  in  what  he  said  about  Lady  Mary  Lambton's  ^ 
great    regret    at    leaving    England,    the    other    day  ; 

1  Afterwards  wife  of  the  eighth  Earl  of  Elgin,  Viceroy  of  India. 
1—23  337 


338  DON    GIOVANNI  [^t.i9 

namely,  her  being  attached  to  John  Ponsonby/ 
which  we  think  seems  hkely,  as  he  (J.  Ponsonby)  is 
the  ONLY  person  to  whom  Lady  Mary  has  written 
since  she  left  England.  Spoke  of  Epsom,  and  Lord 
Melbourne  said  there  was  scarcely  ever  "  a  Derby 
without  somebody  killing  himself  ;  generally  some- 
body kills  himself  ;  it  is  not  perfect  without  that," 
he  said  laughing.  Spoke  of  Don  Giovanni,  and  the 
Statue  having  laughed  so  much  the  other  night 
(about  which  Lablache  told  him  he  was  so  dis- 
tressed), and  Lord  Melbourne  said  the  original  Piece 
and  Music  was  very  old  ;  and  on  my  observing  that  I 
thought  this  music  by  Mozart  old-fashioned,  he  clasped 
his  hands  and  looked  up  in  astonishment.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  3rd  June. — We  spoke  of  Music  ;  of  Lord 
Melbourne's  going  to  sleep  when  Thomas  Moore  was 
singing,  which  he  would  hardly  allow.  Lord  Mel- 
bourne quoted  some  lines  to  prove  that  Lydian  music 
used  to  put  people  to  sleep  ;  and  of  Phrygian  music, 
which  made  people  fight.  I  showed  Lord  Melbourne 
the  1st  number  of  a  work  called,  Portraits  of  the 
Female  Aristocracy.  Then  he,  and  also  I,  looked 
at  a  new  Work  called  Sketches  of  the  People  and 
Country  of  the  Island  of  Zealand,  which  are  very 
well  done.  Lord  Melbourne  said,  in  opening  it, 
"  These  are  a  fine  race,  but  they  eat  men,  and  they 
say  it's  almost  impossible  to  break  them  of  it."  He 
farther  added,  "  There  are  no  aniynals  whatever 
there,  and  therefore  they  are  obliged  to  eat  men." 
Lady  Mulgrave  observed  that  she  thought  they  only 
eat  their  enemies  ;  Lord  Melbourne  said,  "  I  fancy 
they  eat  them  pretty  promiscuously."  Lord  Mel- 
bourne was  in  excellent  spirits,  and  very  funny  in 
his  remarks  about  the  different  drawings  ;   it's  always 

1  Son  of  Lord  Duiicannon,  and  grandson  of  the  Earl  of  Bessborough. 


1838]  NEW    ZEALAND  339 

my  delight  to  make  him  look  at  these  sorts  of  things, 
as  his  remarks  are  always  so  clever  and  funny.  He 
again  said  that  it  was  so  difficult  to  break  them  (the 
New  Zealanders)  of  eating  men  ;  "  for  they  say  it's 
the  very  best  thing,"  which  made  us  laugh.  He 
added,  "  There  was  an  old  woman  who  was  sick, 
and  they  asked  her  what  she  would  like  to  have  ; 
and  she  said,  '  I  think  I  could  eat  a  little  piece  of 
the  small  bone  of  a  boy's  head,'  "  and  he  pointed 
laughing  to  his  own  head,  explaining  what  part  of 
the  head  that  small  bone  was.  .  .  .  Lord  Melbourne 
went  on  speaking  of  New  Zealand,  &c.,  and  said, 
"  The  English  eat  up  everything  wherever  they  go  ; 
they  exterminate  everything  "  ;  and  Lady  Mulgrave 
and  Mr.  Murray  ^  also  said  that  wherever  the  English 
went,  they  always  would  have  everything  their  own 
way,  and  never  would  accommodate  themselves  to 
other  countries.  "  A  person  in  a  public  situation 
should  write  as  few  private  letters  as  possible  "  .  .  .  . 
Monday,  Mh  June. — Spoke  of  the  Eton  Montem, 
and  I  told  Lord  Melbourne  I  was  going  to  the  Pro- 
vost's house,  which  he  said  he  was  very  glad  of. 
There  were  two  Montems  while  he  was  at  Eton  ;  he 
said  no  one  knows  the  origin  of  the  Eton  Montem. 
Formerly  there  used  to  be,  he  said,  a  Mock  Sermon 
at  Salt  Hill ;  a  boy  dressed  like  a  clergyman  and 
another  like  a  clerk  delivered  a  sort  of  sermon,  and 
in  the  middle  of  it  the  other  boys  kicked  them 
down  the  hill ;  George  III.  put  a  stop  to  it,  as  he 
thought  it  very  improper.  We  spoke  of  the  Montem, 
and  of  giving  money,  and  Lord  Melbourne  said  he 
thought  he  should  give  £20.  I  asked  Lord  Mel- 
bourne what  he  did  when  Lady  Holland  goes  down 
to  Brocket.     "  Oh  !    I  give  up  the  whole  house  to 

^  Hon.  Ciiarles  Augustus  Murray.     See  Vol.  II.,  p.  94. 


340  LORD    BARHAM'S    PEDIGREE  [^t.i9 

her,"  he  replied.  And  he  says  she  twists  everything 
about ;  not  only  in  her  own  room  but  in  other  rooms 
downstairs.  Then  she  swears  she  has  too  much 
light,  and  puts  out  all  the  candles  ;  then  too  little, 
and  sends  for  more  candles  ;  then  she  shuts  up 
first  one  window,  then  another.  I  showed  him  in 
the  Genealogy  of  Lodgers  Peerage  how  Lord  Barham 
came  to  his  title  and  how  he  was  related  to  the  Earl 
of  Gainsborough.  In  looking  over  it,  Lord  Mel- 
bourne began  to  speak  of  Sir  Charles  Midleton,  First 
Lord  of  the  Admiralty,  made  1st  Lord  Barham,  and 
maternal  grandfather  to  Lord  Barham.  He  said  he 
was  a  most  distinguished  and  clever  man.  He  told 
me,  with  the  tears  in  his  eyes,  an  anecdote  of  what 
he  (Sir  C.  Midleton)  did  at  the  time  of  the  Mutiny.^ 
He  was  very  much  for  those  people  and  said,  "  I 
used  always  to  think  those  poor  fellows  very  hardly 
treated  "  ;  but  when  he  heard  of  the  Mutiny,  he 
ordered  two  74-gun  ships  to  be  put  broadside  of  the 
ship  in  which  the  INIutineers  were,  and  desire  her  to 
surrender,  and  if  she  did  not,  to  send  her  to  the 
bottom.  So  they  said  to  him,  "  But  if  the  men  should 
disobey  ? "  "  Why,  then  we  shall  be  in  a  scrape ; 
but  give  your  orders  steadily  and  they  won't  dis- 
obey." "That  was  very  fine,"  said  Lord  Melbourne. 
Spoke  of  clothes,  about  which  Lord  Melbourne  was 
very  funny  ;  said  the  fewer  you  had  the  better,  and 
that  he  was  certain  it  was  very  bad  to  keep  things 
in  store^  at  which  we  laughed  much,  and  said  it 
would  be  impossible  for  ladies  to  keep  dresses  in 
store,  as  the  fashions  always  changed  ;  and  he  was 
against  keeping  furs,  as  he  said  "  The  moth  doth 
corrupt."  Spoke  of  Miss  Chaworth,  Byron's  first 
admiration,    about    whom    Lord    Melbourne    told    a 

^  I.e.,  Mutiny  at  the  Nore,  May  1797. 


1838]  MISS    CHAWORTH    AND    BYRON  341 

story  on  Sunday,  which  I  did  not  quite  understand, 
and  I  begged  him  to  repeat  it  which  he  did.  It  was 
as  follows : — Miss  Chaworth  was  told  that  she  would 
like  Lord  Byron  very  much  (she  did  admire  him) 
and  would  in  fact  marry  him.  She  said,  No,  she 
never  w^ould  ;  for  that  if  ever  she  married,  it  should 
be  a  man  with  two  straight  legs  (Byron  having  one 
leg  and  foot  quite  deformed^  from  his  birth,  which 
made  him  limp  very  much)  ;  this  was  told  to  Byron, 
whom  it  shocked  most  exceedingly,  as  he  was  ex- 
tremely unhappy  and  conscious  of  his  lameness,  and 
made  him  quite  indignant.  He  went  to  her,  made 
her  copy  a  piece  of  music  for  him  (they  had  been  in 
the  habit  of  singing  together)  in  order  to  have  a  re- 
membrance of  her,  took  it,  left  the  house,  and  never 
saw  her  again.  Lord  Melbourne  told  me  there  was 
an  awkw^ardness  between  the  two  families  ;  as  in 
George  II. 's  reign  Miss  Chaworth's  ancestor  was 
killed  in  a  duel  by  a  Lord  Byron  ;  they  quarrelled 
at  a  Club,  went  upstairs,  fought  and  Chaworth  was 
killed  ^ ;  Lord  Melbourne  said  it  was  always  suspected 
that  he  had  been  killed  unfairly,  as  Chaworth  was 
known  to  be  the  best  fencer  there  was,  and  it  was 
thought  that  Byron  passed  his  sword  through  him 
before  they  fought.  Miss  Chaworth  married  after- 
wards a  Mr.  Musters  and  was  very  unhappy  ;  lived 
on  bad  terms  with  her  husband,  and  at  last  died 
deranged.     Lord  Melbourne   said  he  saw  her  once, 

^  This  is  now  proved  not  to  have  been  the  case.  He  suffered  from 
infantile  paralysis  of  one  leg  which  was  badly  treated  and  developed 
into  permanent  lameness.  Miss  Chaworth's  words,  which  were  either 
overheard  by  or  repeated  to  Byron,  were,"  Do  you  think  I  could  care 
anything  for  that  lame  boy  ?  "  He  did  see  her  on  more  than  one 
occasion  in  later  years. 

2  Her  grand-uncle  was  killed  as  described  by  William,  fifth  Lord 
Byron,  in  1765. 
1—23^^ 


342      LORD  MELBOURNE'S  HOUSEHOLD    [^t.19 

he  went  over  to  her  place,  Annesley,  when  he  was 
staying  in  Nottinghamshire  in  1813,  and  stayed  there 
two  days.  She  was  then  Hving  on  very  bad  terms 
with  her  husband,  and  everything  was  in  a  very  un- 
comfortable state  ;  but  she  was  very  kind  to  Lord 
Melbourne.  '  I  asked  Lord  Melbourne  where  Lord 
Byron  made  the  acquaintance  of  his  cousin,  Miss 
Milbanke,  now  the  Dowager  Lady  Byron;  he  said 
at  his  house,  at  Whitehall,  where  Byron  used  to 
come.  '  Spoke  of  Irish  and  Italian  servants,  who  Lord 
Melbourne  says  are  very  uncertain  and  not  to  be 
trusted.  I  asked  Lord  Melbourne  if  he  had  good 
servants  ;  he  said,  "  Not  very  "  ;  he  added,  *'  I'm 
told  that  great  drunkenness  prevails  in  my  house," 
but  that  he  never  saw  it,  and  as  long  as  that  was  the 
case,  he  could  not  much  complain  ;  he,  of  course^ 
can't  look  after  them.  The  man  he  always  takes 
about  with  him,  when  he  comes  here,  he  says  is 
a  very  steady,  exact  man,  and  always  ready  ;  he  has 
risen  from  being  a  steward's  boy  in  his  house.  He  told 
me  that  he  has  but  few  servants  ;  a  butler,  this  man, 
an  under  butler,  and  one  footman  ;  that's  all.  He's 
likewise  told  that  his  expenses  in  comparison  to  other 
people's  are  very  great  ;  that  the  profuseness  in  his 
country  house  was  beyond  everything,  people  told 
him  ;  he  does  not  think  the  expense  very  great,  in 
fact  he  says  it  cannot  be,  as  he  is  so  little  at  home. 
Tuesday,  5th  June. — At  a  J  to  11  we  got  into  our 
carriages  for  Montem.  Mamma  and  Lady  Mulgrave 
were  with  me  ;  Lord  Melbourne,  Miss  Paget,  Lord 
Albemarle  and  Lady  Flora  were  in  the  next  carriage 
to  mine  ;  then  Lady  Theresa,  Miss  Dillon,  Lord 
Conyngham,  and  Miss  Davys  ;  and  lastly  Lord 
Lilford,  Mr.  Murray,  Colonel  Wemyss  and  Col. 
Cavendish.     These  carriages  preceded  us  in  going  to 


1838]  VISIT    TO    ETON  343 

Eton.  We  were  stopped  on  the  Bridge  for  "  Salt." 
When  we  reached  Eton  College  we  were  received 
there  by  the  Provost/  Dr.  Hawtrey,^  and  the  other 
Fellows  ;  we  went  under  the  Cloisters  and  saw  all 
the  boys  march  by,  3  times,  which  is  a  pretty  sight ; 
some  of  the  boys  were  beautifully  dressed.  We  then 
all  went  up  to  one  of  the  rooms  in  tlie  Provost's 
house,  where  we  looked  out  of  the  window  and  saw 
the  flag  flourished  ;  we  then  took  some  luncheon  at 
the  Provost's,  I  sitting  between  the  Provost  and  Lord 
Melbourne.  The  only  people  besides  our  own  party 
there,  were,  Mrs.  Goodall  (the  Provost's  wife).  Lady 
Braybrooke,'  Edward  of  Saxe-Weimar,^  Mr.  Wood,^ 
and  two  nieces  of  the  Provost's.  The  room  in  which 
we  lunched  is  hung  round  with  many  portraits  of 
the  young  men  (now  mostly,  if  indeed  not  all,  old) 
who  had  been  at  Eton  ;  amongst  which  were  Lord 
Grey's,  Lord  Holland's,  Lord  Wellesley's,  Mr.  Can- 
ning's.^ Lord  Melbourne's  was  not  there,  which  it 
ought  to  have  been.      Lord  Melbourne   said  he   had 

^  Dr.  Goodall.     See  ante,  p.  119. 

2  The  Head  Master.     See  ante,  p.  119. 

3  She  was  Jane,  daughter  of  the  second  Marquess  Cornwallis  and 
wife  of  the  third  Lord  Braybrooke. 

*  Son  of  Duke  Charles  Bernard  and  Duchess  Ida  (a  sister  of  Queen 
Adelaide).  Prince  Edward  was  A.D.C.  to  Lord  Raglan  in  the  Crimea, 
and  ultimately  Commander  of  the  Forces  in  Ireland. 

6  Charles  Wood  (afterwards  Lord  Halifax).  At  this  time  Secretary 
to  the  Admiralty.     See  ante,  p.  99. 

*  These  portraits  were  among  those  which  by  custom  were  pre- 
sented to  the  Headmaster  of  Eton  by  certain  distinguished  Etonians 
on  leaving  school.  The  gift  of  a  portrait  was  usually  made  by  re- 
quest. A  boy  was  considered  honoured  by  being  asked  to  leave  his 
portrait  to  the  school.  The  custom  lapsed  about  forty  years  since. 
This  collection  was  recently  overhauled  by  Mr.  Lionel  Cust.  It  is 
now  in  fine  order,  carefully  arranged  in  the  Provost's  Lodge  at  Eton. 
The  portraits  have  been  engraved  and  collectod  in  the  form  of  a 
sumptuous  volume. 


344  ETON    "MONTEM"  [^et.iq 

been  painted  by  Hoppner,  for  Dr.  Langford  (his 
Master,  but  not  the  Head  Master,  who  was  then 
Dr.  Heath),  and  had  been  sold  at  the  sale  of  his 
things  when  he  died.^  Lord  Melbourne  said  that 
Lord  Holland  had  a  fine  countenance  when  young, 
but  always  lame,  there  being  some  ossification  in  one 
of  his  legs  ;  he  was  "  very  slim  "  when  young  !  ! 
After  luncheon  we  got  into  our  carriages  again  (the 
other  carriages  following  mine),  and  drove  to  Salt 
Hill,  where  we  saw  the  boy  again  flourish  the  flag. 
The  heat  was  quite  intense,  and  the  crowd  enormous  ! 
We  got  back  to  the  Castle  at  20  m.  to  2.  I  saw 
Lord  Melbourne  from  7  m.  to  2  till  7  m.  p.  2,  in  my 
room  on  my  return.  He  said  he  was  not  tired,  and 
was  very  anxious  I  should  not  be  so.  Spoke  of  the 
Montem,  the  fine  boys ;  he  thought  they  looked 
"  very  sheepish  "  and  shy  as  they  marched  by  ;  and 
the  boy  (a  great  big  boy)  who  held  up  the  bag  for 
"  Salt,"  very  shy,  on  the  bridge.  Lord  Melbourne 
gave  £10  ;  and  I  £100.  Lord  Melbourne  thought 
that  the  Provost  and  Mrs.  Goodall,  knew  nobody, 
for  she  took  Lord  Melbourne  for  Lord  Ebrington. 
It  is  69  years,  Lord  Melbourne  told  me  (the  Provost 
had  said)  since  he  (the  Provost)  walked  in  a  Montem  ! 
Lord  Melbourne  was  going  to  dine  at  Lord  Anglesey's. 
He  said  he  was  going  away  directly.  He  had  neither 
slept  well.  At  I  p.  2  I  left  Windsor  (as  I  came  the 
day  before),  and  reached  Buckingham  Palace  at  J 
p.  4  or  20  m.  to  5.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  6th  June. — I  showed  him  the  letter 
from  Uncle  Leopold  which  I  got  yesterday,  and  in 
which  he  touches  upon  these  unhappy  Affairs,  wish- 
ing me  to  prevent  my  Government  from  taking  the 
lead  in  these  Affairs,  &c.,  &c.  ;    and  saying  his  posi- 

^  This  may  be  the  portrait  now  in  the  Corridor  at  Windsor  Castle. 


1838]  KING    LEOPOLD'S    POSITION  345 

tion  is  des  plus  emharassantes.  Lord  Melbourne 
read  it  over  with  great  attention,  and  then  spoke  of 
it  all  most  kindly  and  sensibly  ;  said  he  did  not  see 
how  we  could  get  out  of  this  Territorial  Arrange- 
ment ;  said  he  felt  that  Uncle's  position  was  not  an 
agreeable  one,  for  that  he  was  made  to  do  what  his 
people  disliked  and  what  was  extremely  unpopular  ; 
"  and  people  and  countries  never  make  allowances 
for  the  difficulties  Kings  are  placed  in  ;  the  King  is 
made  the  Instrument  of  an  Act  which  is  extremely 
unpopular  ;  and  all  the  blame  will  fall  upon  him." 
All  this  is  most  true  ;  we  spoke  of  this,  and  of  its 
being  rather  hard  of  Uncle  appealing  to  my  feelings 
of  affection  for  him.  I  told  him  what  Uncle  had 
said  of  Stockmar  to  Van  de  Weyer,  and  that  Stock- 
mar  said  he  did  not  fear  all  this,  and  was  sure  that 
Uncle  would  give  way  in  a  little  time.  Lord  Mel- 
bourne said,  "  He  always  says  that  the  pressure  of 
circumstances  will  make  him  give  way,  but  I  think 
he  trusts  everything  to  that  power  "  ;  which  Lord 
Melbourne  does  not  think  always  is  the  case.  He 
was  going  to  show  the  letter  to  Lord  Palmerston. 
I  showed  him  another  letter  from  Ferdinand  in 
answer  to  mine  to  him  about  the  Slave  Trade  ;  he 
seems  very  anxious  to  do  what  we  wish,  but  stated 
the  difficulties  are  so  great ;  which  Lord  Melbourne 
said  was  true.  .  .  .  Before  this.  Lord  Melbourne 
said,  "  Immense  crowd  at  the  Montem ;  my  servant 
told  me  he  never  saw  such  a  number  of  people." 
Lord  Melbourne  was  in  sight  of  us,  in  coming  to 
London,  already  before  Datchet.  His  servant  also 
told  him  that  there  were  72  pair  of  Post-horses  sent 
down  the  road  yesterday,  and  he  (Ld.  M.)  paid 
8  guineas  for  going  ;  whereas  in  general  he  only 
pays  4.      Spoke  of  the  Montem  ;    and  of  the   boys 


346  LORD    MELBOURNE    ON    ETON  [iEx.  19 

there  ;  the  Collegers  generally  stay  longer  than  the 
others  ;  they  must  stay  till  there  is  a  vacancy  at 
King's,  unless  they  are  past  19  ;  he  says  there  are 
much  fewer  little  boys  than  there  used  to  be  ;  the 
Provost  told  him  "  they  had  only  20  in  the  lower 
form."  "  People  don't  send  their  children  as  early 
as  they  used  to  do."  We  spoke  of  the  Montem  ;  the 
deal  of  money  said  to  have  been  collected,  more  than 
ever  was  known.  Lord  Melbourne  spoke  of  the  boy 
who  held  the  bag  and  looked  so  sheepish  ;  of  the 
Provost,  who  Lord  Melbourne  said  was  an  excellent 
Master ;  that  nobody  could  make  a  lesson  so  pleasant 
to  the  boys  ;  and  that  he  was  "  a  beautiful  scholar  " 
and  "  a  good-natured  man."  Lord  Melbourne  said 
that  "  A  Master  should  have  great  spirits  ;  better 
spirits  than  all  the  boys."  He  went  on  saying,  "  It's 
now  42  years  ago  since  I  left  Eton,  and  I  should 
like  very  much  to  be  put  back  to  that  time."  He 
would  not  like,  he  said,  to  go  through  all  he  had 
gone  through  ;  but  to  go  back  to  that  time,  with 
his  'present  experience  ;  "I  should  manage  them  all 
so  much  better,"  he  said  laughing.  He  spoke  of  the 
extreme  love  of  contradiction  children  have  ;  of  the 
great  deal  of  disputing  there  used  to  be  formerly 
in  private  Society.  Lord  Egremont  used  to  say, 
that  Society  was  not  near  so  amusing  as  it  used  to 
be  ;  people  were  all  so  well  educated,  that  there 
were  no  more  any  originals  to  be  seen.  Lord  Mel- 
bourne said  the  love  of  arguing  was  at  an  amazing 
height  when  he  was  born  ;  "  People  used  to  argue 
till  they  got  into  a  passion  and  swore  at  each  other." 
That  people  always  would  find  the  other  in  the 
wrong.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  10th  June. — I  told  Lord  Melbourne  that 
the  Queen  Dowager  had  come  to  me  the  day  before. 


1838]  ETON    EDUCATION  847 

and  had  told  me  that  Chambers  *  had  told  her  that 
she  must  not  pass  another  winter  in  England,  and 
wished  her  to  go  to  Madeira,  which  she  declared  was 
too  far  off ;  he  then  named  Malta,  to  which  she 
assented,  and  asked  my  leave  to  go,  and  to  have  a 
frigate  to  go  in  ;  about  which  Lord  Melbourne  said 
there  could  not  be  the  slightest  difficulty.  I  said  she 
told  me  she  preferred  Malta,  as  being  still  in  my 
dominions.  .  .  .  Lady  Mulgrave  began  saying  how 
much  mischief  the  Eton  boys  committed  after  the 
Montem,  hacking  and  cutting  things  all  to  pieces. 
Of  the  Montem,  its  origin  ;  the  wish  of  some  to 
abolish  it ;  the  Provost's  declaring  he  never  would. 
The  Provost,  he  told  us,  is  the  son  of  the  butler 
of  Lord  Lichfield's  grandfather.  Spoke  of  Dr. 
Hawtrey's  introducing  much  new  learning,  which 
the  Provost  disliked.  Spoke  of  what  the  boys 
learn,  and  many  coming  away  amazingly  ignorant. 
What  makes  the  school  one.  Lord  Melbourne  said, 
is  that  the  most  gentlemanly  boys  are  sent  there. 
Lord  Melbourne  told  us  that  Talleyrand  said,  "  La 
meilleure  education,  c'est  I'education  Publique  An- 
glaise  ;  et  c'est  detestable  !  "  There  is  one  Head 
Master  and  an  Under  Master,  and  eight  other  Masters 
at  Eton,  Lord  Melbourne  said.  The  Masters,  he 
says,  who  are  quite  young  men,  often  require  more 
keeping  in  order  and  are  more  irregular  than  the 
boys.  "  My  opinion  is,''  said  Lord  Melbourne,  "  that 
it  does  not  much  signify  what  is  taught,  if  what's 
taught  is  well  taught."  Then  he  added,  "  People 
too  often  confound  learning  and  knowledge  with 
talent  and  abilities  "  ;  for  that  the  two  former  could 
not  make  the  two  latter.     Lord  Melbourne  was  sent 

1  W.  F.  Chambers,  Physician-in-Ordinary  to  King  William  and  Queen 
Adelaide,  and  afterwards  to  Queen  Victoria  and  the  Duchess  of  Kent. 


348  RECOLLECTIONS    OF    ETON  [^t.  19 

to  Eton  at  9  years  old,  but  had  been  with  a  clergy- 
man before,  who  taught  him  on  quite  a  different 
principle,  but  very  well  ;  made  him  work  very  hard, 
with  a  dictionary,  by  himself,  and  at  Eton  they 
construe  it  to  you  first ;  "so  that  when  I  came  to 
Eton  I  was  infinitely  superior  to  most  of  the  other 
boys,  and  I  could  do  my  lessons  and  theirs  too." 
That's  because  he  always  was  cleverer  than  most 
other  people.  He  said,  "  I  never  was  so  surprised 
as  when  I  came  there  ;  I  did  not  know  what  to  do. 
It  was  perhaps  12  o'clock,  and  they  said  that  I 
might  stay  out  till  two.  I  said,  '  What  can  I  do  ? 
Who  is  to  stay  with  me  now  ?  '  I  thought  it  then 
very  odd,  for  I  had  been  accustomed  to  have  2  or 
3  nursery-maids  after  me,  not  allowing  me  to  wet 
my  heels  near  the  water  ;  and  here  you  are  let  into 
a  field  alone,  with  a  river  running  through  it,  which 
is  10  feet  deep  at  the  bank  ;  and  if  you  make  a 
false  step  you're  drowned  to  a  certainty."  Then 
he  said  his  father  gave  him  a  great  deal  of  money, 
and  he  ate  such  a  quantity  of  tarts,  made  himself 
so  sick,  though  he  was  only  there  three  weeks 
when  he  first  went — that  he  was  verv  ill  when  he 
went  home,  with  eruptions  and  spots  over  his  face. 
This  made  us  laugh  much.  Spoke  of  the  fighting 
there,  and  that  the  Masters  should  never  allow  it  to 
go  on  long.  "  I  always  yielded  directly,"  he  said, 
"  if  I  found  the  boy  too  much  for  me  ;  after  the  first 
round  if  I  found  I  could  not  lick  the  fellow,  I  gave  it 
up,  and  said,  '  Come,  this  won't  do,  I'll  go  away, 
it's  no  use  standing  to  be  knocked  to  pieces.'  "  All 
this  and  a  great  deal  more  Lord  Melbourne  told  us 
in  the  funniest,  most  delightful  way  possible  ;  he  is 
so  amusing  about  himself,  and  so  clever  and  sensible 
about  education. 


1838]  IRISH    LEGAL    APPOINTMENTS  349 

Monday,  11th  June. — At  20  m.  to  2  Lord  Palmer- 
ston  introduced  the  Prince  de  Ligne  to  me,  Uncle 
Leopold's  Ambassador  to  me  for  the  Coronation  ;  I 
then  went  into  the  Drawing-room  where  the  Prince 
de  Ligne  (who  is  a  gentlemanlike  and  rather  young 
man)  introduced  five  other  Belgian  gentlemen,  who 
have  accompanied  him.  I  hear  he  came  in  the  most 
splendid  equipage,  with  four  grey  horses.  At  7  m. 
to  2  came  my  good  Lord  Melbourne  and  stayed  with 
me  till  5  m.  to  3.  He  said  he  was  well,  and  we  spoke 
of  the  weather.  He  then  told  me  of  the  difficulty 
of  replacing  the  Chief  Baron  of  Ireland  (Joy,  of  whose 
death  he  had  told  me  last  Friday),  and  he  said  it 
was  wished,  and  he  thought  it  was  best,  to  make 
O'Loghlen,  now  Master  of  the  Rolls,  Chief  Baron,  and 
to  offer  the  Mastership  of  the  Rolls  to  O'Connell ; 
he  said  O'Connell  might  possibly  refuse  it,  but  that 
it  might  likewise  satisfy  him  and  his  party  ;  on  the 
other  hand,  the  difficulties  are,  that  O'Connell  might 
not  give  up  his  agitation,  and  that  "we,"  as  Lord 
Melbourne  says,  may  be  attacked  for  it  by  the 
other  party.  He  then  asked  me  twice  over,  "  Have 
you  any  particular  feeling  about  it  ?  "  I  said  none 
whatever,  and  therefore  it  is  left  to  Ministers  to 
offer  it,  or  not,  as  they  may  think  fit.^ 

Wednesday,  13th  June. — I  made  Lady  Mary  Paget ' 
sing  after  dinner  which  she  did  beautifully,  two 
songs  before  the  gentlemen  came  in,  the  pretty  one 
from  The  Ambassadrice,  and  one  by  Alari  ;  Lady 
Adelaide  ^  accompanying  her  in  the  last.     The  gentle- 

1  Sir  Michael  O'Loghlen  did  not,  however,  leave  the  Rolls.     The 
new  Chief  Baron  was  Mr.  Stephen  Woulfe,  the  Irish  Attorney-General. 

2  She  married  Lord  Sandwich  (see  p.  191)  in  the  following  September. 
'  Lady  Adelaide  Paget  (afterwards  Lady  Adelaide  Cadogan).     See 

ante,  p.  319. 


350  REMINISCENCES    OF    ASCOT  l^t.io 

men  then  came  in  ;  after  this  Lady  Mary  sang  the 
other  song  by  Alari  which  she  sang  at  Buckingham 
Palace ;  and  then  "  Ah  !  non  giunge "  (Lady 
Adelaide  accompanying  her),  most  beautifully,  with 
all  Persiani's  ornaments.  They,  particularly  Lord 
Anglesey,  then  insisted  on  my  singing  ;  which  I  did, 
but  literally  shaking  with  fear  and  fright.  I  sang 
"  II  superbo  vinctor  "  from  II  Giuramento.  Lord 
Melbourne  stood  opposite  me,  listening,  which  really 
is  marvellous,  considering  he  does  not  care  the  least 
about  music.  Lady  Mary  sang  a  very  pretty  little 
thing  from  Beatrice  ;  and  I  then  sang  "  Sogno  talor." 
We  then  sat  down  (at  a  J  p.  10),  I  sitting  on  the  sofa 
with  Lady  Surrey,  Lord  Melbourne  sitting  near  me 
the  whole  evening,  and  several  of  the  other  ladies 
sitting  round  the  table.  I  observed  to  Lord  Mel- 
bourne how  dreadfully  frightened  I  had  been  ;  and 
he  smiled  and  said  "  I  can  quite  understand  it." 
Talked  of  Ascot  Races  ;  Lord  Melbourne  said  he  had 
not  been  to  Ascot  Races  since  he  left  Eton,  42  years 
ago  !  !  The  Eton  boys  are  now  not  allowed  to 
go  to  Ascot,  but  in  Lord  Melbourne's  days  they 
were  much  less  severe  than  they  are  now.  "  My 
brother "  (Pen  Lamb)  "  was  a  great  man  on  the 
Turf.  I  used  always  to  go  to  him  ;  I  always  got 
leave  all  the  week,  and  used  to  go  all  the  week, 
and  very  good  fun  it  used  to  be,"  Lord  Melbourne 
said. 

Thursday,  lUh  June. — Spoke  of  Miss  Pitt,  and  of 
our  fearing  she  was  attached  to  her  brother-in-law  ; 
Lord  Melbourne  said  such  a  marriage  could  not  take 
place  now  ^  ;  that  the  Law  preventing  it  was  only 

1  The  Marriage  Act  of  1835  made  null  and  void  all  marriages 
within  the  prohibited  degrees  of  consanguinity  or  affinity.  Before 
they  had  only  been  voidable. 


1838]  LORD    MELBOURNE    EXPLAINS  351 

made  last  year.  Till  then  such  a  marriage  could 
take  place  ;  but  was  void,  if  any  of  the  parties 
made  objections  to  such  marriage.  This  Bill  made 
good  all  such  marriages  which  had  taken  place  (like 
the  Duke  of  Beaufort's^)  but  prevented  any  others 
being  made.  Lord  Melbourne  said  he  did  not  know 
if  it  was  right  or  wrong  ;  we  spoke  of  it  for  a  little 
while.^  I  then  asked  him  if  he  thought  it  would  be 
well,  if,  on  occasions  like  the  Races,  I  should  wear 
my  Star  and  Ribbon  ;  he  said  yes.'  I  said  to  him 
also,  that,  if  he  did  not  dislike  it,  I  should  be  so 
very  happy  if  he  would  wear  the  Windsor  Uniform 
when  he  came  down  to  Windsor  ;  he  replied  kindly, 
"  I  shall  be  very  happy,"  and  I  added  I  hoped  he 
would  often  be  at  Windsor.* 

Friday,  15th  June. — I  told  him  that  I  had  been 
reading  in  the  morning  in  Coxe's  Life  of  Walpole  ; 
which  I  found  very  interesting,  but  that  I  had  got 
a  good  deal  puzzled  with  the  South  Sea  Company, 
and  the  Redeemable  and  Irredeemable  debt ;  and  that 
it  was  very  difficult  and  puzzling,  which  he  said  it 
was,  and  that  I  should  not  trouble  or  puzzle  myself 
with  that  part  of  the  book,  which  is  not  clearly 
written  ;  and  he  explained  to  me  in  a  few  words  and 
in  his  clear  delightful  way,  like  a  father  to  his  child, 
this  difficult  South  Sea  Scheme.     We  spoke  of  that 

1  In  this  case  the  two  wives  were  Jialf  sisters,  daughters  of  the 
Duke  of  Wellington's  sister  by  different  husbands. 

*  The  Prince  Consort  was  strongly  in  favour  of  legalising  these 
marriages,  and  King  Edward  (then  Prince  of  Wales)  always  voted  in 
favour  of  the  Bills  introduced  for  the  purpose  of  amending  the  law. 

^  This  custom  has  now  unfortunately  fallen  into  disuse. 

*  No  one  has  a  prescriptive  or  ex  officio  right  to  wear  the  "  Windsor 
uniform.  '  It  is  an  honour  conferred  personally  by  the  Sovereign. 
Of  recent  Prime  Ministers,  this  privilege  has  been  enjoyed  by  Lord 
Salisbxory,  Lord  Rosebery,  and  Mr.  Balfoiu*. 


352  THE    ORDER    OF    THE    BATH  [iET.i9 

strange  proposition,  the  Peerage  Bill/  which  is 
curiously  told  in  Coxe's  Life.  "  That  was  all  a  party 
scheme,"  said  Lord  Melbourne  ;  "  and  done  with 
a  view  to  cripple  George  II."  "  If  that  had  been 
done,"  he  continued,  "  there  would  be  hardly  any 
peerages  left  now."  Lord  Melbourne  was  speaking 
of  how  many  peerages,  of  that  time,  were  extinct ; 
and  that  there  were  now  20  peers  in  the  House  of 
Lords  without  heirs.  I  likewise  told  him  that  the 
Duke  of  Wellington  had  let  me  know  that  George  IV. 
and  William  IV.  always  wore  the  Order  of  the  Bath 
on  that  da}^ — Waterloo  Day — as  also  on  the  anni- 
versary of  the  battle  of  Trafalgar  ;  and  I  asked  Lord 
Melbourne  if  he  thought  I  should  do  so,  or  not.  He 
said  he  thought  I  should.  I  observed  I  did  not  like 
giving  up  my  Blue  Ribbon,  even  for  one  night  ;  but 
if  he  wished  it  I  would  do  so.  He  said,  "  If  you 
don't  dislike  it,  I  think  you  should  do  it  ;  it  will 
be  considered  a  compliment  to  the  Army."  ^   .  .  , 

Monday,  ISth  June. — Lord  Melbourne  then  gave 
me  a  list  of  tlie  Creations  and  Advancements  which 
are  to  take  place,  which  are  as  follows  : 


^  Sunderland's  Ministry  in  1718  introduced  a  measure  to  limit 
the  creation  of  peers,  the  object  being  to  prevent  the  Prince  of  Wales 
(when  Iving)  from  swamping  the  Lords  with  his  partisans.  Walpole 
spoke  and  wrote  vigorously  against  the  Bill,  and  organised  the  opposi- 
tion to  it  in  anticipation  of  the  time  when  it  should  reach  the  Commons. 
He  succeeded  in  altering  the  public  attitude  to  the  Bill,  and  it  was 
rejected  by  a  large  majority. 

2  After  this  date,  that  is  to  say,  the  early  part  of  the  Queen's  reign, 
the  Order  of  the  Bath  began  to  be  somewhat  neglected.  It  was  partly 
owing  to  the  creation  of  new  Orders,  such  as  the  Star  of  India  and  tlie 
St.  Michael  and  George.  It  has,  however,  recently  been  ordained 
by  King  George  V.  that  the  annual  service  for  the  Order  of  the  Bath 
in  Westminster  Abbey  shall  be  revived,  and  the  banners  and  shields 
of  the  Knights  Grand  Cross  be  affixed  to  their  stalls  in  Henry  Vllth.'s 
chapel. 


1838 


CORONATION    HONOURS 


353 


The  Earl  of  Mulgrave 

Lord  Dundas 

The  Earl  of  Kintore 

(Scotch) 
The   Viscount   Lismore 

(Irish) 

The  Lord  Rossmore 

(Irish) 
The  Lord  Carew 

(Irish) 

The   Hon.    Wm.    S.    C. 

Ponsonby 
Sir     John     Wrottesley, 

Bart. 

Charles  Hanbury 
Tracy,  Esq. 

Paul  Methuen,  Esq.,  of 
Corsham  in  the 
County  of  Wilts 


Marquis  of  Normanby 
Earl  of  Zetland 
Baron  Kintore 

Baron  Lismore  of  Shan- 
bally  Castle  in  the 
County  of  Tipperary 

Baron  Rossmore  of  the 
County  of  Monaghan 

Baron  Carew  of  Castle 
Boro  in  the  County  of 
Wexford 

Baron  de  Mauley 


Baron      Wrottesley 
Wrottesley        in 
County  of  Stafford 

Baron  Sudeley 


of 
the 


Baron    Methuen    of    Cor- 
sham. 


Lord  Melbourne  said  he  wished  to  add  two  more, 
with  my  consent,  namely,  Lord  King,'  an  Earl ;  and 
to  call  up  Lord  Carmarthen  ^  to  the  House  of  Lords. 
I  of  course  consented  to  both.  Before  I  say  an- 
other word,  I  must  not  omit  to  mention  that  I  wrote 
a  letter  to  Stockmar  begging  him  to  mention  to 
Lord  Melbourne  my  anxious  wish  to  give  him  the 
Blue  Ribbon  (which  I  offered  to  him  through  Stock- 
mar  already  last  year,  immediately  upon  my  acces- 


^  See  ante,  p.  205. 

2  Sir  Peter  King,  who  became  Lord  Chancellor,  was  created  Lord 
King  of  Ockham  in  1725.  The  present  baron  (eighth  holder  of  the 
title)  had  married  in  1835,  Ada,  the  only  child  of  Lord  Byron.  Lord 
King  now  became  Earl  of  Lovelace. 

2  Eldest  son  of  the  Duke  of  Leeds,  who  died  in  the  following  month. 
1—24 


854   LORD  MELBOURNE  AND  THE  GARTER  [.et.i9 

sion,  and  which  he  refused  in  the  most  noble  manner), 
as  I  said  I  felt  I  owed  him  so  much  ;  and  he  had 
been  and  was  so  very  kind  to  me  that  it  would 
grieve  me  to  be  giving  other  people  honours  whom 
I  cared  not  about,  and  him  nothing.  Stockmar 
told  me  this  morning  he  had  shown  Lord  Melbourne 
my  letter  and  that  Lord  Melbourne  would  speak  to 
me  on  the  subject.  Accordingly  Lord  Melbourne 
said  to  me,  *'  The  Baron  showed  me  your  letter,  and 
I  feel  very  grateful,  I  am  very  sensible  of  Your 
Majesty's  kindness  "  ;  upon  which  I  assured  him 
he  was  quite  right  (having  previously  heard  from 
Stockmar  that  he  would  decline  it)  ;  "I  hope,"  he 
continued,  "you  don't  think  I've  any  contempt  for 
these  things,  but  it  gives  me  such  a  command " ; 
which  is  most  true;  "and  therefore  you'll  allow  me 
to  decline  it."  ^  I  added  I  thought  him  quite  right 
but  that  /  could  not  do  less.  This  is  a  fine  noble 
disinterested  act,  and  worthy  of  Lord  Melbourne, 
and  I  honour,  esteem  and  admire  him  the  more  for 
it ;   it  only  increases  my  fondness  of  him.^  .   .  . 

Friday,  22nd  June. — At  a  J  p.  2  came  Marshal 
Soult,  Due  de  Dalmatic,  who  was  introduced  by 
Lord  Glenelg.  I  was  very  curious  to  see  him  ;  he 
is  not  tall,  but  very  broad,  and  one  leg  quite  crooked 
from  having  been  severely  wounded  ;  his  com- 
plexion is  dark,  and  he  has  the  appearance  of  great 
age  ;    his  features  are  hard,   and  he  speaks  slowly 

^  In  1847,  when  the  offer  was  repeated,  Lord  Melbourne  wrote  to 
the  Queen  that  "  for  a  long  time  he  had  found  himself  much  straitened 
in  his  circumstances  "  and  that  "  he  knows  that  the  expense  of  accept- 
ing the  ribbon  amounts  to  £1,000,  and  there  has  been  of  late  years  no 
period  at  which  it  would  not  have  been  seriously  inconvenient  to  him 
to  pay  down  such  a  sum." 

*  With  the  exception  of  Lord  Beaconsfield  and  Lord  Palmerston, 
no  Prime  Minister,  as  such,  has  accepted  the  Garter  in  recent  times. 


1838]  MARSHAL    SOULT  855 

and  indistinctly.  His  eyes  are  piercing  ;  he  seemed 
much  embarrassed.  I  then  went  into  the  outer 
room,  where  he  presented  his  12  (I  think)  Attaches 
to  me,  amongst  whom  were  the  Marquis  de  Dal- 
matic (his  son),  and  his  son-in-law.  Wrote  to  Aunt 
Louise.  At  3  came  Lord  Melbourne,  and  stayed 
with  me  till  4.  He  asked  how  I  was,  and  was  sorry 
to  hear  I  had  so  much  to  do.  I  told  him  I  had  just 
seen  Soult,  who  was  so  much  embarrassed  ;  which 
Lord  Melbourne  said  he  was  also  when  he  came  to 
him  ;  and  that  he  never  would  understand  anything, 
and  that  he  made  Lord  Melbourne  repeat  the  things 
over  20  times.  He  gave  me  a  list  of  the  names  to 
be  made  Baronets  on  the  occasion  of  the  Corona- 
tion ;  there  are  30  ;  amongst  whom  are  Mr.  E. 
Lytton  Bulwer  and  Mr.  Micklethwait,^  which  last 
I  must  say  Lord  Melbourne  has  been  most  exceed- 
ingly kind  about.  I  then  begged  him  to  add  (to 
write  down)  the  two  following  names  to  the  list  of 
Peers  which  he  gave  me  the  other  day,  and  which 
he  did  ;  Lord  King  to  be  Earl  of  Lovelace,  and 
Viscount  Ockham  in  the  County  of  Surrey  ;  and  the 
Marquis  of  Carmarthen  to  be  called  up  by  the  title 
of  Baron  Osborne.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  27th  June. — At  20  m.  p.  4  I  went  with 
Lady  Lansdowne  and  Lady  Barham  (the  Duchess 
of  Sutherland  going  in  her  own  carriage,  as  she  feared 
an  open  one),  and  Lord  Conyngham  and  Col. 
Wemyss  to  Westminster  Abbey  to  see  all  the  Pre- 
parations for  to-morrow.  The  streets  were  full  of 
people,  and  preparations  of  all  kinds.  I  was  received 
at   the    Abbey    by    Lord    Melbourne,    the    Duke    of 

1  Sir  Sotherton  Peckham-Micklethwait,  of  Iridge  Place,  Sussex, 
Created  a  baronet  "for  a  personal  service  rendered  to  Her  Majesty  and 
the  Duchess  of  Kent  at  St.  Leonards  in  Nov.  1834."     See  ante,  p.  104. 


356  CORONATION    DAY  [^t.  i9 

Norfolk,  Sir  William  Woods,*  and  Sir  Benjamin 
Stevenson.  The  whole  thing  is  beautifully  and 
splendidly  and  very  conveniently  done  ;  Lord  Mel- 
bourne made  me  try  the  various  thrones  (that  is, 
two)  which  was  very  fortunate,  as  they  were  both 
too  low.  I  came  home  again  as  I  went  (crowds  in 
the  streets  and  all  so  friendly)  at  5.  The  prepara- 
tions for  Fairs,  Balloons,  &c.  in  the  Parks,  quite 
changes  all,  and  the  encampments  of  the  Artillery, 
with  all  their  white  tents,  has  a  very  pretty  effect. 
I  did  not  think  Lord  Melbourne  looking  well,  though 
he  said  he  was  better.  I'm  very  glad  I  went  to  the 
Abbe}^  as  I  shall  now  know  exactly  where  I'm  to  go, 
and  be.  The  Duchess  of  Sutherland  came  to  ask 
for  further  Orders  a  few  minutes  after  I  had  got 
home,  and  said  she  had  taken  Lord  Melbourne  in 
her  carriage  to  Downing  Street  which  is  only  one 
step  from  the  Abbey.  He  walked  to  the  Abbey. 
Wrote  my  journal.     At  |  p.  7  we  dined. 

Thursday,  2Sth  June  ! — I  was  awoke  at  four 
o'clock  by  the  guns  in  the  Park,  and  could  not  get 
much  sleep  afterwards  on  account  of  the  noise  of  the 
people,  bands,  &c.,  &c.  Got  up  at  7  feeling  strong 
and  well ;  the  Park  presented  a  curious  spectacle ; 
crowds  of  people  up  to  Constitution  Hill,  soldiers, 
bands,  &c.  I  dressed,  having  taken  a  little  break- 
fast before  I  dressed,  and  a  little  after.  At  J  p.  9 
I  went  into  the  next  room  dressed  exactly  in  my 
House  of  Lords  costume  ;  and  met  Uncle  Ernest, 
Charles  and  Feodore  (who  had  come  a  few  minutes 
before  into  my  dressing-room).  Lady  Lansdowne, 
Lady  Normanby,  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland,  and 
Lady  Barham,  all  in  their  robes.  At  10  I  got  into 
the  State  Coach  with  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland  and 

1  Clarenceux  King-of-Arms,  afterwards  Garter. 


1838  THE    CORONATION    CEREMONY  357 

Lord  Albemarle,  and  we  began  our  Progress.  It  was 
a  fine  day,  and  the  crowds  of  people  exceeded  what 
I  have  ever  seen  ;  many  as  there  were  the  day  I 
went  to  the  City,  it  was  nothing — nothing  to  the 
multitudes,  the  millions  of  my  loyal  subjects  who 
were  assembled  in  every  spot  to  witness  the  Procession. 
Their  good-humour  and  excessive  loyalty  was  be- 
yond everything,  and  I  really  cannot  say  how  proud 
I  feel  to  be  the  Queen  of  such  a  Nation.  I  was 
alarmed  at  times  for  fear  that  the  people  would  be 
crushed  and  squeezed  on  account  of  the  tremendous 
rush  and  pressure.  I  reached  the  Abbey  amid 
deafening  cheers  at  a  little  after  J  p.  11  ;  I  first 
went  into  a  robing-room  quite  close  to  the  entrance, 
where  I  found  my  eight  Train-bearers  :  Lady  Caro- 
line Lennox,  Lady  Adelaide  Paget,  Lady  Mary 
Talbot,  Lady  Fanny  Cowper,  Lady  Wilhelmina 
Stanhope,  Lady  Anne  Fitzwilliam,  Lady  Mary  Grim- 
ston,  and  Lady  Louisa  Jenkinson, — all  dressed  alike 
and  beautifully,  in  white  satin  and  silver  tissue,  with 
wreaths  of  silver  corn-ears  in  front,  and  a  small  one 
of  pink  roses  round  the  plait  behind,  and  pink  roses 
in  the  trimxming  of  the  dresses.  After  putting  on 
my  Mantle,  and  the  young  ladies  having  properly 
got  hold  of  it,  and  Lord  Conyngham  holding  the  end 
of  it,  I  left  the  robing-room  and  the  Procession  began. 
The  sight  was  splendid  ;  the  bank  of  Peeresses 
quite  beautiful,  all  in  their  robes,  and  the  Peers 
on  the  other  side.  My  young  Train-bearers  were 
always  near  me,  and  helped  me  whenever  I  wanted 
anything.  The  Bishop  of  Durham  *  stood  on  one  side 
near  me.  At  the  beginning  of  the  Anthem  where  I've 
made  a  mark,  I  retired  to  St.  Edward's  Chapel,  a 

1  Edward  Maltby   (1770-1859),   Bishop  of  Durham,   to  which  he 
had  been  recently  translated  from  Chichester. 
1—24* 


358  THE    CORONATION    CEREMONY  [^t.i9 

small  dark  place  immediately  behind  the  Altar,  with 
my  Ladies  and  Train-bearers  ;  took  off  my  crimson 
robe  and  kirtle  and  put  on  the  Supertunica  of  Cloth 
of  Gold,  also  in  the  shape  of  a  kirtle,  which  was  put 
over  a  singular  sort  of  little  gown  of  linen  trimmed 
with  lace  ;  I  also  took  off  my  circlet  of  diamonds,  and 
then  proceeded  bare-headed  into  the  Abbey  ;  I 
was  then  seated  upon  St.  Edward's  chair  where  the 
Dalmatic  robe  was  clasped  round  me  by  the  Lord 
Great  Chamberlain.  Then  followed  all  the  various 
things  ;  and  last  (of  those  things)  the  Crown  being 
placed  on  my  head  ; — which  was,  I  must  own,  a 
most  beautiful  impressive  moment  ;  all  the  Peers 
and  Peeresses  put  on  their  Coronets  at  the  same 
instant.  My  excellent  Lord  Melbourne,  who  stood 
very  close  to  me  throughout  the  whole  ceremony, 
was  completely  overcome  at  this  moment,  and  very 
much  affected  ;  he  gave  me  such  a  kind,  and  I  may 
say  fatherly  look.  The  shouts,  which  were  very  great, 
the  drums,  the  trumpets,  the  firing  of  the  guns,  all 
at  the  same  instant,  rendered  the  spectacle  most 
imposing.  The  Enthronization  and  the  Homage  of, 
1st  all  the  Bishops,  then  my  Uncles,  and  lastly  of  all 
the  Peers,  in  their  respective  order,  was  very  fine. 
The  Duke  of  Norfolk  (holding  for  me  the  Sceptre 
with  a  Cross)  with  Lord  Melbourne,  stood  close  to 
me  on  my  right,  and  the  Duke  of  Richmond  with 
the  other  Sceptre  on  my  left.  All  my  Train-bearers 
standing  behind  the  Throne.  Poor  old  Lord  Rolle, 
who  is  82  and  dreadfully  infirm,  in  attempting 
to  ascend  the  steps,  fell  and  rolled  quite  down, 
but  was  not  the  least  hurt ;  when  he  attempted 
to  reascend  them  I  got  up  and  advanced  to  the 
end  of  the  steps,  in  order  to  prevent  another  fall. 
When  Lord  Melbourne's  turn  to  do  Homage  came. 


1838]  THE    CORONATION    CEREMONY  359 

there  was  loud  cheering  ;  they  also  cheered  Lord 
Grey  and  the  Duke  of  Wellington  ;  it's  a  pretty 
ceremony  ;  they  first  all  touch  the  Crown,  and  then 
kiss  my  hand.  When  my  good  Lord  Melbourne 
knelt  down  and  kissed  my  hand,  he  pressed  my  hand 
and  I  grasped  his  with  all  my  heart,  at  which  he 
looked  up  with  his  eyes  filled  with  tears  and  seemed 
much  touched,  as  he  was,  I  observed,  throughout  the 
whole  ceremony.  After  the  Homage  was  concluded 
I  left  the  Throne,  took  off  my  Crown  and  received 
the  Sacrament ;  I  then  put  on  my  Crown  again, 
and  re-ascended  the  Throne,  leaning  on  Lord  Mel- 
bourne's arm  ;  at  the  commencement  of  the  Anthem 
I  descended  from  the  Throne,  and  went  into  St. 
Edward's  Chapel  with  my  Ladies,  Train-bearers, 
and  Lord  Willoughby,  where  I  took  off  the  Dalmatic 
robe,  Supertunica,  and  put  on  the  Purple  Velvet 
Kirtle  and  Mantle,  and  proceeded  again  to  the 
Throne,  which  I  ascended  leaning  on  Lord  Mel- 
bourne's hand.  There  was  another  present  at  this 
ceremony,  in  the  box  immediately  above  the  Royal 
Box,  and  who  witnessed  all ;  it  was  Lehzen,  whose 
eyes  I  caught  when  on  the  Throne,  and  we  ex- 
changed smiles.  She  and  Spath,  Lady  John  Russell 
and  Mr.  Murray  saw  me  leave  the  Palace,  arrive  at 
the  Abbey,  leave  the  Abbey  and  again  return  to  the 
Palace  !  !  I  then  again  descended  from  the  Throne, 
and  repaired  with  all  the  Peers  bearing  the  Regalia, 
my  Ladies  and  Train-bearers,  to  St.  Edward's  Chapel, 
as  it  is  called  ;  but  which,  as  Lord  Melbourne  said, 
was  more  unlike  sl  Chapel  than  anything  he  had 
ever  seen  ;  for,  what  was  called  an  Altar  was  covered 
with  sandwiches,  bottles  of  wine,  &c.  The  Archbishop 
came  in  and  ought  to  have  delivered  the  Orb  to 
me,  but  I  had  already  got  it.     There  we  waited  for 


360  THE    PROCESSION  [iET.i9 

some  minutes  ;  Lord  Melbourne  took  a  glass  of  wine, 
for  he  seemed  completely  tired  ;  the  Procession  being 
formed,  I  replaced  my  Crown  (which  I  had  taken 
off  for  a  few  minutes),  took  the  Orb  in  my  left  hand 
and  the  Sceptre  in  my  right,  and  thus  loaded  pro- 
ceeded through  the  Abbey,  which  resounded  with 
cheers,  to  the  first  Robing-room,  where  I  found  the 
Duchess  of  Gloucester,  Mamma,  and  the  Duchess  of 
Cambridge  with  their  ladies.  And  here  we  waited 
for  at  least  an  hour,  with  all  my  ladies  and  Train- 
bearers  ;  the  Princesses  went  away  about  half  an 
hour  before  I  did  ;  the  Archbishop  had  put  the 
ring  on  the  wrong  finger,  and  the  consequence  was 
that  I  had  the  greatest  difficulty  to  take  it  off 
again, — which  I  at  last  did  with  great  pain.  Lady 
Fanny,  Lady  Wilhelmina,  and  Lady  Mary  Grimston 
looked  quite  beautiful.  At  about  J  p.  4  I  re-entered 
my  carriage,  the  Crown  on  my  head  and  Sceptre 
and  Orb  in  my  hand,  and  we  proceeded  the  same 
way  as  we  came — the  crowds  if  possible  having 
increased.  The  enthusiasm,  affection  and  loyalty 
was  really  touching,  and  I  shall  ever  remember  this 
day  as  the  proudest  of  my  life.  I  came  home  at  a 
little  after  6, — really  not  feeling  tired .^ 

At  8  we  dined.  Besides  we  13,  Lord  Melbourne 
and  Lord  Surrey^  dined  here.  Lord  Melbourne 
came  up  to  me  and  said,  "  I  must  congratulate 
you  on  this  most  brilliant  day,"  and  that  all  had 

^  The  ceremonial  as  described  by  the  Queen  does  not  compare 
favourably  with  those  of  Iving  Edward  or  I^ang  George,  when  hardly  a 
mistake  was  made  by  any  of  those  officiating.  The  ritual  at  the 
Coronation  of  I^ng  Edward  was  especially  difficult,  owing  to  the  age 
and  infirmities  of  Archbishop  Temple. 

2  Lord  Svirrey  was  son  and  heir  of  the  Earl  Marshal,  the  twelfth 
Duke  of  Norfolk,  whom  he  succeeded  in  1842.  He  married  Charlotte 
Sophia,  daughter  of  the  first  Duke  of  Sutherland. 


1838]  AFTER    THE    CORONATION  861 

gone  off  so  well.  He  said  he  was  not  tired,  and 
was  in  high  spirits.  I  sat  between  Uncle  Ernest 
and  Lord  Melbourne,  and  Lord  Melbourne  between 
me  and  Feodore,  whom  he  had  led  in.  My  kind 
Lord  Melbourne  was  much  affected  in  speaking  of 
the  whole  ceremony.  He  asked  kindly  if  I  was 
tired  ;  said  the  Sword  he  carried  (the  1st,  the  Sword 
of  State)  was  excessively  heavy.  I  said  that  the 
Crown  hurt  me  a  good  deal.  He  was  much  amused 
at  Uncle  Ernest's  being  astonished  at  our  still  having 
the  Litany  ^  ;  we  agreed  that  the  whole  thing  was  a 
very  fine  sight.  He  thought  the  robes,^  and  par- 
ticularly the  Dalmatic,  "  looked  remarkably  well." 
*'  And  you  did  it  all  so  well ;  excellent  !  "  said  he 
with  the  tears  in  his  eyes.  He  said  he  thought  I 
looked  rather  pale,  and  "  moved  by  all  the  people  " 
when  I  arrived  ;  "  and  that's  natural."  The  Arch- 
bishop's and  Dean's  Copes  (which  were  remarkably 
handsome)  were  from  James  the  Ist's  time  ;  the 
very  same  that  were  worn  at  his  Coronation,  Lord 
Melbourne  told  me.  Spoke  of  the  Due  de  Nemours  ^ 
being  like  his  father  in  face  ;  of  the  young  ladies' 
(Train-bearers')  dresses  which  he  thought  beautiful ; 
and  he  said  he  thought  the  Duchess  of  Richmond 
(who  had  ordered  the  make  of  the  dresses,  and 
had  been  much  condemned  by  some  of  the  young 
ladies  for  it)  quite  right.  She  said  to  him,  "  One 
thing  I  was  determined  about ;  that  I  would  have 
no  discussion  with  their  Mammas  about  it."  Spoke 
of  Talleyrand   and   Soult   having  been   much  struck 

^  The  Litany  was  omitted  at  the  Coronation  of  King  Edward  VII., 
and  reintroduced  at  the  Coronation  of  King  George  V. 

2  The  robe  is  exhibited  in  the  London  Museum  at  Kensington 
Palace. 

*  Second  son  of  Louis  Philippe.  He  was  offered  two  thrones, 
Belgium  in  1831  and  Greece  in  1832,  but  declined  both.    See  ante,  p.  130. 


362  THE    PEERAGE  [;et.  19 

by  the  ceremony  of  the  Coronation  ;  of  the  English 
being  far  too  generous  not  to  be  kind  to  Soult. 
Lord  Melbourne  went  home  the  night  before,  and 
slept  very  deeply  till  he  was  woke  at  6  in  the 
morning.  I  said  I  did  not  sleep  well.  Spoke  of  the 
Illuminations  and  Uncle  Ernest's  wish  to  see  them. 

After  dinner,  before  we  sat  down,  we — that  is, 
Charles,  Lord  Melbourne  and  I — spoke  of  the  num- 
bers of  Peers  at  the  Coronation,  which  Lord  Mel- 
bourne said  was  unprecedented.  I  observed  that 
there  were  very  few  Viscounts  ;  he  said,  "  There  are 
very  few  Viscounts  "  ^  ;  that  they  were  an  odd  sort 
of  title,  and  not  really  English  ;  that  they  came  from 
Vice-Comites  ;  that  Dukes  and  Barons  were  the  only 
real  English  titles  ;  that  Marquises  were  likewise  not 
English  ;  and  that  they  made  people  Marquises  when 
they  did  not  wish  to  make  them  Dukes.  Spoke  of 
Lord  Audley  who  came  as  the  1st  Baron,  and  who 
Lord  Melbourne  said  was  of  a  very  old  family  ;  his 
ancestor  was  a  Sir  Something  Audley  '  in  the  time 
of  the  Black  Prince,  who  with  Chandos  gained  the 
Battle  of  Poitiers.  I  then  sat  on  the  sofa  for  a  little 
while  with  Lady  Barham  and  then  with  Charles  : 
Lord  Melbourne  sitting  near  me  the  whole  evening. 
Mamma  and  Feodore  remained  to  see  the  Illuminations, 
and  only  came  in  later,  and  Mamma  went  away  before 
I  did.     Uncle  Ernest  drove  out  to  see  the  Illumina- 

*  This  has  been  remedied  by  the  recent  custom  of  giving  a  Vis- 
countcy  to  any  Secretary  of  State  who  is  raised  to  the  Peerage. 

2  Nicholas,  third  Baron  Audley  by  writ  and  tenth  by  tenure, 
fought  in  the  wars  with  France  1359  and  1372.  His  sister  Joan  married 
Sir  John  Tuchet,  killed  at  Rochelle,  1371,  and  her  grandson  succeeded 
to  the  title.  On  the  death,  in  1872,  of  the  twenty-first  Baron  (son  of 
George  Edward  Thicknesse  Touchet,  twentieth  Baron,  whom  the  Queen 
and  Lord  Melbourne  were  discussing),  the  barony  fell  into  abeyance 
between  his  daughters. 


--r 


^ 


1838]      LORD    MELBOURNE    ON    THE    CEREMONY       363 

tions.  I  said  to  Lord  Melbourne  when  I  first  sat 
down,  I  felt  a  little  tired  on  my  feet ;  "  You  must 
be  very  tired,"  he  said.  Spoke  of  the  weight  of 
the  robes,  &c.  ;  the  Coronets  ;  and  he  turned  round 
to  me,  and  said  so  kindly,  "  And  you  did  it  beauti- 
fully,— every  part  of  it,  with  so  much  taste  ;  it's  a 
thing  that  you  can't  give  a  person  advice  upon  ;  it 
must  be  left  to  a  person."  To  hear  this,  from  this 
kind  impartial  friend,  gave  me  great  and  real  pleasure. 
Mamma  and  Feodore  came  back  just  after  he  said 
this.  Spoke  of  these  Bishops'  Copes,  about  which  he 
was  very  funny ;  of  the  Pages,  who  were  such  a  nice 
set  of  boys  and  who  were  so  handy,  Lord  Melbourne 
said,  that  they  kept  them  near  them  the  whole  time. 
Little  Lord  Stafford  ^  and  Slane  (Lord  Mount- 
charles)  *  were  Pages  to  their  fathers  and  looked 
lovely  ;  Lord  Paget '  was  Lord  Melbourne's  Page 
and  remarkably  handy,  he  said.  Spoke  again  of 
the  young  ladies'  dress  about  which  he  was  very 
amusing ;  he  waited  for  his  carriage  with  Lady 
Mary  Talbot  and  Lady  Wilhelmina  ;  he  thinks  Lady 
Fanny  does  not  make  as  much  show  as  other  girls, 
which  I  would  not  allow.  He  set  off  for  the  Abbey 
from  his  house  at  J  p.  8,  and  was  there  long  before 
anybody  else  ;  he  only  got  home  at  J  p.  6,  and 
had  to  go  round  by  Kensington.  He  said  there 
was  a  large  breakfast  in  the  Jerusalem  Chamber, 
where  they  met  before  all  began  ;  he  said  laughing 
that  whenever  the  clergy  or  a  Dean  and  Chapter 
had  anything  to  do  with  anything,  there's  sure  to 
be    plenty   to   eat.      Spoke   of    my   intending    to   go 

1  Eldest  son  of  the  Diike  of  Sutherland,  and  nine  years  old.  He 
succeeded  his  father  as  third  Dvike  in  1861. 

'■'  Eldest  son  of  Lord  Conyngham,  and  thirteen  years  old.  Suc- 
ceeded as  third  Marquess  in  1876,  and  died  in  1882. 

3  Eldest  son  of  Lord  Uxbridge,  seventeen  years  old.     Died  in  1880. 


364  KINGS    AND    USURPERS  [iEx.ig 

to  bed  ;  he  said,  "  You  may  depend  upon  it,  you 
are  more  tired  than  you  think  you  are."  I  said  I 
had  slept  badly  the  night  before  ;  he  said  that  was 
my  mind,  and  that  nothing  kept  people  more  awake 
than  any  consciousness  of  a  great  event  going  to 
take  place  and  being  agitated.  He  was  not  sure  if 
he  was  not  going  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington's. 

Stayed  in  the  drawing-room  till  20  m.  p.  11,  but 
remained  till  12  o'clock  on  Mamma's  balcony  looking 
at  the  fireworks  in  Green  Park,  which  were  quite 
beautiful. 

Friday,  29th  June. — I  told  Lord  M.  that  I  had  been 
quarrelling  with  Feodore  about  Louis  Philippe,  whom 
she  called  a  Usurper,  and  that  I  told  her  he  was  not, 
and  that  we  disagreed  amazingly  about  it ;  he 
smiled.  That  she  called  our  William  III.  and  Mary 
Usurpers  ;  Lord  Melbourne  said  it  was  that  strong 
feeling  of  the  divine  right  of  Kings  which  some 
people  have  ;  that  many  people  would  not  be  con- 
vinced that  Louis  Philippe  had  not  organised  that 
Revolution  ;  but  that  it  did  not  do,  he  said,  to  wish 
well  to  the  Family  and  not  to  Louis  Philippe  as 
Feodore  did  ;  for  that  the  happiness  of  the  one 
depended  on  the  other.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  8th  July, — Got  up  at  20  m.  to  10  and 
breakfasted  at  11.  Signed.  Heard  from  Lord  Mel- 
bourne that,  "  He  finds  himself  much  better  this 
morning  and  will  wait  upon  Your  Majesty  about 
three  or  a  little  after."  At  |^  p.  3  came  my  excellent 
Lord  Melbourne  and  stayed  with  me  till  a  J  p.  4. 
He  looks  very  thin  and  pulled  as  I  think,  but  was  in 
excellent  spirits  and  as  kind  as  ever.  He  said  he 
felt  much  better  today,  but  that  his  knee  was  still 
stiff  and  had  been  very  painful  yesterday.  It's  the 
same  leg  (the  left)  which  was  first  bad,  but  the  foot 


18381  REVIEW    IN    HYDE    PARK  365 

was  nearly  well ;  he  wore  large  loose  shoes  and  no 
straps  to  his  trousers.  I  showed  Lord  Melbourne  a 
letter  from  Lord  Glenelg  I  had  got  about  Lord  Dur- 
ham and  a  letter  from  Lady  Durham.  And  Lord 
Melbourne  showed  me  one  from  Lord  Palmerston 
about  Van  de  Weyer's  being  asked,  and  about  the 
Ladies  of  the  Ambassadors  having  some  seat  at  the 
Balls.  .  .  . 

Monday,  9th  July. — At  a  J  p.  11  I  went  with 
Mamma  and  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland,  Feodore,  Lady 
Barham,  Lord  Conyngham,  Lord  Albemarle,  Miss  Pitt, 
Lady  Flora,  Spath,  Lord  Fingall,  Miss  Spring  Rice, 
and  Miss  Davys,  Lady  Harriet  Clive  and  Mr.  Murray 
to  a  Review  in  Hyde  Park,  of  which  I  subjoin  an 
account.  I  could  have  cried  almost  not  to  have 
ridden  and  been  in  my  right  place  as  I  ought  ;  but 
Lord  Melbourne  and  Lord  Hill  thought  it  more 
prudent  on  account  of  the  great  crowd  that  I  should 
not  this  time  do  so,^  which  however  now  they  all  see 
I  might  have  done,  and  Lord  Anglesey  (who  had  the 
command  of  the  day,  looked  so  handsome,  and  did 
it  beautifully  and  gracefully)  regretted  much  I  did 
not  ride.  I  drove  down  the  lines.  All  the  Foreign 
Princes  and  Ambassadors  were  there,  and  the  various 
uniforms  looked  very  pretty.  The  troops  never 
looked  handsomer  or  did  better  ;  and  I  heard  their 
praises  from  all  the  Foreigners  and  particularly  from 
Soult.  There  was  an  immense  crowd  and  all  so 
friendly  and  kind  to  me.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  11th  July, — Spoke  of  Soult,  and  that 

*  This  was  certainly  an  error  of  judgment  on  the  part  of  Lord 
Melbourne.  The  Queen's  appearance  on  horseback,  in  the  uniform 
still  to  be  seen  in  the  London  Museum  at  Kensington  Palace,  was  ex- 
traordinarily fascinating,  and  added  greatly  to  the  intex'est  of  any 
Review  at  which  she  appeared. 


366  POPULARITY    OF    ENEMIES  [^t.  i9 

Uncle  Ernest  said  that  the  Due  de  Nemours  told 
him  that  Soult  was  in  excellent  humour  here,  in  better 
humour  than  he  had  ever  seen  him.  Lord  Mel- 
bourne seemed  pleased.  He  said  he  was  not  at  all 
surprised  at  the  manner  in  which  the  English  re- 
ceived Soult ;  as  they  were  always  curious  to  see 
distinguished  foreigners.  During  the  War,  at  the 
Peace  of  Amiens  when  Marshal  Orison  *  came  over, 
they  took  the  horses  out  of  his  carriage  and  dragged 
him  through  the  streets  ;  "  and  that  was  in  the 
midst  of  war,"  he  continued.  "  Many  people  were 
rather  annoyed  at  that  ;  but  that  was  from  mere 
curiosity."  I  spoke  of  Feodore,  and  asked  him  if  he 
saw  any  likeness  between  us  ;  he  said,  "  I  see  the 
likeness,  though  not  perhaps  very  strong."  I  spoke 
of  her  children  and  of  Charles  (her  eldest)  being  her 
favourite,  as  he  was  so  much  the  fondest  of  her. 
Lord  Melbourne  said  smiling  that  one  must  not  judge 
according  to  that,  and  to  the  manner  in  which 
children  showed  their  love  ;  "  Children  are  great 
dissemblers  ;  remember  how  Lear  was  deceived  by 
that.  They  learn  to  be  the  greatest  hypocrites,"  he 
said. 

Thursday^  12ih  July. — Lord  Melbourne  said  that 
they  were  going  to  have  a  Cabinet  upon  what 
O'Connell  and  Sir  Robert  Peel  declared  in  the  House 
of  Commons,  the  day  before  yesterday,  upon  the 
Irish  Tithes.  They  proposed  that  the  sum  left  from 
the  sum  which  was  voted  in  1833  for  the  distressed 

^  The  Queen  evidently  did  not  grasp  a  name  unfamiliar  to  her. 
The  ratification  of  the  Treaty  of  Amiens  was  sent  over  by  Napoleon 
in  charge  of  Colonel  Lauriston,  his  A.D.C.  When  this  officer  left  the 
house  of  M.  Otto  in  London  to  deliver  his  credentials  to  Lord  Hawkes- 
bury,  the  scene  occurred  which  the  Queen  here  describes.  The  carriage 
waa  accompanied^to  Downing  Street  by  a  guard  of  honour  of  the 
Household  Cavalry. 


1838]  FAMILY    QUESTIONS  367 

Clergy,  should  be  employed  to  pay  the  arrears  of 
Tithes  due.  I  asked  Lord  Melbourne  if  he  thought 
this  a  good  plan  ;  he  said  it  would  have  the  effect 
of  quieting  the  people,  but  that  it  was  "  rather  a 
lavish  way  of  bestowing  the  Public  Money."  In 
general.  Lord  Melbourne  said,  when  any  sum  of  the 
kind  is  voted  for  a  certain  class  of  people,  many 
miss  it  who  ought  to  get  it,  and  many  get  it  who 
ought  not  to  get  anything. 

Friday,  13th  July. — Lord  Melbourne  said  Ellice 
had  told  him  that  they  cheered  Soult  amazingly 
when  he  went  to  Eton  (that  day),  and  Ellice  told  him 
he  must  ask  for  a  Holiday,  which  he  did,  upon  which 
the  Boys  cheered  him  much  more  ;  he  shook  hands 
with  some  of  the  Boys,  and  then  they  all  wished 
to  shake  hands  with  him,  so  he  shook  hands  with 
the  whole  school.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  17th  July. — He  (Ld.  M.)  said  that  the 
Sutherlands  had  a  large  family  ;  and  asked  if  the 
last  was  a  boy  or  girl,  at  which  I  laughed  very 
much,  as  I  said  he  ought  to  know  ;  he  said  boys 
were  much  more  expensive  than  girls  ;  there  was 
only  the  girl's  dress  that  could  be  expensive  and 
perhaps  Masters  ;  but  nothing  to  what  boys'  going 
to  school  cost.  I  said  that  younger  sons  were 
always  so  poor,  and  that  girls  married  ;  he  said 
certainly  that  was  so,  and  even  if  girls  did  not  marry 
they  wanted  less  money.  I  said  Feodore  at  one 
time  liked  having  boys  much  better  than  girls,  but 
she  did  not  now,  as  she  thought  that  boys  got  into 
more  difficulties  and  scrapes  than  girls.  "  Men 
certainly  get  into  more  scrapes  than  girls,"  said 
Lord  Melbourne  ;  "  but  there  is  risk  in  both."  We 
spoke  of  other  things  ;  and  he  said  Lord  Ebrington 
had  come  to  him  and  spoken  to  him  about  its  being 


368  PRINCE    ROYAL    OF    BAVARIA  l^t.  19 

reported  that  I  had  so  many  French  things,  and 
that  the  lace  of  the  Servants'  coats  came  from 
France  ;  which  I  said  I  knew  nothing  about,  and  I 
assured  him  I  had  quantities  of  EngHsh  things,  but 
must  sometimes  have  French  things.  He  said  he 
knew  quite  well  it  was  so,  and  that  it  was  impossible 
not  to  have  French  things,  if  one  wished  to  be  well 
dressed.  That  it  was  not  so  much  the  material, 
but  the  make  which  we  English  could  not  do  ;  he 
said  they  never  could  make  a  cap  or  a  bonnet ;  and 
that  the  English  women  dressed  so  ill.  .  .  . 

Monday,  2Mh  July. — We  spoke  of  Sir  Edmund 
Lyons,^  who  writes  such  long  despatches  ;  and  who 
Lord  Melbourne  has  never  seen  before  ;  he  was  a 
Naval  Officer  and  never  employed  before  in  the 
Diplomatic  Service.  He  was  the  Captain  who  took 
out  Otho.  I  then  went  over  to  the  Closet,  where 
the  Prince  Royal  of  Bavaria  was  introduced  by 
Lord  Palmerston  and  Baron  Cetto.  Having  neither 
attendants  nor  uniform,  he  came  in  morning  attire. 
He  is  not  quite  good-looking,  but  nearly  so, — slim, 
not  very  tall,  but  very  gentlemanlike  and  agreeable 
and  lively.  I  made  him  sit  down,  and  he  was 
completely  a  son  aise  and  consequently  put  me  at 
ease.  I  showed  Lord  Melbourne  Hayter's  sketch 
for  his  great  picture  of  the  Coronation  ;  which  Lord 
Melbourne  liked  very  much,  and  which  was  very 
generally  admired  ;  Lord  Melbourne  looked  at  it 
for  some  time  observing  upon  each  part ;  he  said 
that  Hayter  would  never  get  it  as  good  in  the  large 

1  Afterwards  first  Baron  Lyons  of  Christchurch  (1790-1858).  At 
this  time  Minister  Plenipotentiary  at  Athens.  In  1853,  war  with  Russia 
being  imminent,  he  was  appointed  second  in  command  of  the  fleet  in 
the  Mediterranean,  and  displayed  boldness  and  initiative  in  the  attack 
on  the  sea  defences  of  Sebastopol.  He  became  Commander-in-Chief 
in  1855,  and,  on  the  termination  of  the  war,  a  Peer. 


1838]  DUKEDOMS  369 

picture  as  he  had  got  it  here.  I  then  said  to  Lord 
Melbourne  that  I  thought  the  Coronation  made  him 
ill,  and  all  the  worry  of  it ;  he  said  he  thought  he 
would  have  been  ill  without  it ;  "It  wasn't  the 
Coronation,'^''  he  said,  "  it  was  all  these  Peerages  ; 
but  I  think  that's  subsiding  a  little  now."  I  asked 
if  Lord  Derby  expected  being  made  a  Duke  ;  Lord 
Melbourne  replied,  "  No,  I  don't  think  he  did  ;  I 
told  him  at  once  that  could  not  be,  and  that  gene- 
rally satisfies  people."  Lord  Derby  has  a  very  good 
claim  for  it.  Lord  Melbourne  said,  for  the  following 
reasons  : — George  III.  declared  he  never  would  make 
any  Dukes,  and  wished  to  reserve  that  Title  only 
for  the  Royal  Family  ;  and  he  only  made  2,  Lord 
Melbourne  thinks — the  Duke  of  Northumberland 
and  the  Duke  of  Montagu  ^  ;  Mr.  Fox  told  the  late 
Lord  Derby  that  if  he  could  ever  make  the  King 
waive  his  objections,  he  should  be  made  a  Duke  ; 
and  this.  Lord  Melbourne  said,  certainly  was  a  strong 
pledge  for  a  Whig  Government ;  but  Lord  Grey 
passed  him  over  (Ld.  M.  doesn't  know  why)  and 
made  the  Duke  of  Sutherland  and  the  Duke  of 
Cleveland  ;  and  Lord  Derby  said  in  his  letter  to 
Lord  Melbourne,  "  he  did  not  see  why  the  names  of 
Vane  (D.  of  Cleveland),  Grenville  (Duke  of  Bucking- 
ham), and  Grosvenor  (Ld.  Westminster),  should  be 
preferred  before  him." '  He  did  not  mention  Gower, 
Lord  Melbourne  thinks  from  civility,  but  that  he 
jeels  the  same  respecting  him.  I  asked  what  Duke 
he  wished  to  be  ;    Lord  Melbourne  said  he  supposed 

1  The  diikedom  of  Montagu,  created  in  1766,  become  extinct  at 
the  death  of  the  first  Duke  in  1790. 

2  In  later  years  Edward  Geoffrey,  fourteenth  Earl  of  Derby,  three 
times  Prime  Minister,  was  reported  to  have  refused  a  dukedom,  on 
the  ground  that  he  would  not  exchange  his  Earl's  coronet,  which  dated 
from  the  fifteenth  century,  for  a  set  of  new  strawberry  leaves. 

1—25 


870  THE    SHERIDAN    FAMILY  [*t.i9 

Duke  of  Derby,  which  was  formerly  a  Royal  title, 
having  belonged  to  the  Dukes  of  Lancaster ;  he 
takes  his  title  from  Derby,  a  Hundred  of  Lancashire 
— not  from  the  C°.  of  Derby.  He  thinks,  Lord  Mel- 
bourne continued,  that  he  has  a  right  to  be  Duke 
of  Hamilton,  through  his  mother,  Lady  Elizabeth 
Hamilton,  who  was  daughter  to  James,  6th  Duke  of 
Hamilton,  and  a  very  handsome  person  ;  I  asked 
who  she  married  afterwards  ;  Lord  Melbourne  re- 
plied, "  It  was  a  very  awkward  business  ;  she 
married  nobody  ;  she  had  a  great  attachment  for 
the  Duke  of  Dorset  "  (father  to  the  late),  "  Lord 
Derby  parted  from  her,  but  would  not  divorce  her, 
in  order  that  she  might  not  marry  the  Duke  of 
Dorset."  "  The  Duke  of  Dorset,"  Lord  Melbourne 
continued,  "  was  a  very  handsome  and  agreeable 
man  ;  with  a  great  deal  of  gallantry.  ...  I  asked 
Lord  Melbourne  what  sort  of  person  Charles  Sheridan 
was  ;  he  said  an  agreeable  lively  young  man  ;  but 
rather  wild.  We  then  spoke  for  a  long  time 
about  all  the  Sheridans.  C.  Sheridan  was  in  the 
Admiralty  and  rose  to  get  £300  a  year  ;  but  they 
fancied,  he  said,  that  he  was  in  bad  health,  and 
made  him  give  it  up.  There  are  three  sons, 
Brinsley,  Frank  (who  is  with  Lord  Normanby),  and 
Charles  ;  "  They  are,  like  all  the  Sheridans,  clever 
but  careless,  and  have  no  application,"  he  said. 
They  plagued  Lord  Melbourne  constantly  to  give 
Charles  a  place  ;  and  Lord  Melbourne  offered  him  a 
Clerkship  in  the  Audit  Office  ;  but  he  would  not 
have  that,  and  said  it  was  less  than  he  had  had. 
George  Anson  ^  told  Lord  Melbourne  it  would  be  quite 
nonsense  to  give  it  to  him,  as  he  would  never  come, 

*  Lord    Melbovirne's    private    secretary.      He    afterwards    served 
Prince  Albert  in  a  similar  capacity.     See  Vol.  II.  p.  37. 


1838]  BRINSLEY    SHERIDAN  871 

and  there  would  be  a  complaint  of  him  the  first 
month.  Lord  Melbourne  said  that  a  person  who 
leaves  the  situation  he  has,  must  not  expect  to  be 
put  in  again  in  the  same  place  he  had.  This  is  a 
£100  a  year,  "  which  is  better  than  nothing."  I 
observed  that  a  person  who  does  not  wish  to  submit 
to  that  cannot  be  very  anxious  to  do  much,  in  which 
Lord  Melbourne  agreed.  This  Charles  Sheridan  lives 
a  good  deal  with  the  Chesterfields,  and  positively 
has  nothing.*  Lord  Melbourne  said,  "  I  know  they'll 
get  ruined,  and  we  shall  have  to  provide  for  them." 
"  They  all  have  £60  a  year."  There  is  one  Charles 
Sheridan,  an  excessively  ugly  man,  who  is  Uncle  to 
all  these  people  ;  he  is  Brinsley  Sheridan's  son  by 
his  2nd  wife  ;  his  1st  wife  was  a  professional  singer, 
a  Miss  Linley,  whom  Lord  Melbourne  remembers  when 
he  was  a  boy  ;  she  died  in  1794  ;  she  was  exces- 
sively handsome  ^  ;  "  The  women  "  (Lady  Seymour) 
"  are  very  like  her  ;  some  of  them,"  he  said.  Spoke 
of  young  Brinsley  Sheridan  running  away  with  his 
wife  ;  of  Lady  Seymour,  who.  Lord  Melbourne  said, 
"  is  the  most  posee  of  them  all."  "  She  says  those 
odd  things,"  Lord  Melbourne  continued,  "as  if  they 
were  quite  natural."  They  (the  Seymours)  are 
always  teazing  Lord  Melbourne  about  Titles,  and  are 
so  vexed  at  their  boy's  having  no  title  ;  and  they 
never  will  call  him  anything  else  but  the  Bahy '  ;  I 
said  that  was  foolish  ;  "  Very  foolish  ;  and  I've  told 
them   so,"    replied   Lord   Melbourne,    "  but   I   can't 

^  He  was  for  a  time  Attache  to  the  British  Embassy  in  Paris,  and 
died  in  1847. 

*  A  lovely  portrait  of  her  by  Gainsborough  is  the  property  of  Lord 
Rothschild  at  Tring  Park. 

*  Lord  Seymour  bore,  by  courtesy,  the  only  other  title  of  his 
father,  the  Duke  of  Somerset.  So  there  was  not  a  third  title  availably 
for  the  grandson,  as  is  the  case  in  other  families  of  ducal  rank.. 


372  A    LONG    RIDE  [^t.i9 

convince  them."  The  Sheridan^  who  wrote  the 
Dictionary  was  Great-Grandfather  to  all  these  ;  his 
Wife  was  a  very  clever  woman,  Lord  Melbourne  said, 
and  wrote  some  very  good  books  ;  "  they  have  been 
a  very  distinguished  family  for  a  long  time,"  he 
added. 

Tuesday,  25th  July. — At  a  J  to  4  I  rode  out  with 
Lady  Portman,  Lord  Uxbridge,  Lord  Lilford,  Lord 
Portman,   Col.    Buckley,   Col.   Cavendish,   and    Miss 
Quentin,    &c.,  and  came    home  at  6.     I  rode    dear 
Tartar  who  went  most  beautifully  ;   it  was  a  deUght- 
ful  ride  ;    we  rode    to  Acton,   and  round    by  East 
Acton  home.     We  never  rode  harder.     We  cantered 
almost  the  whole  way  going  out,  but  coming  home 
we  galloped  at  least  for  3  miles  without  once  pulling 
up.     We  came  home   through  the  Park  and  in  at 
the  front  entrance  of  the  Palace.     It  was  a  charming 
ride.     At  7  we  dined.     Besides  we  13  (Lady  Charle- 
mont.    Lord   Headfort,    Lady    Caroline    Barrington, 
and    Wm.    Cowper    replacing    Lord    Byron,    Lady 
Tavistock,  Mrs.  Campbell,  and  Sir  H.  Seton),  Lord 
Conyngham  dined  here.     I  sat  between  Lord  Conyng- 
ham  and  Lord  Headfort.     At  a  J  p.  8  I  went  to  the 
Opera  with  Mamma,  dear  Feo,  Lady  Charlemont,  Lady 
CaroHne,    Miss   Cavendish,   Lord    Conyngham,    Lord 
Headfort,    Mr.    Cowper,   Col.   Buckley,   Col.    Caven- 
dish,   and    Lady    Flora.     It    was    /    Puritani,   and 
Lablache  and  Grisi  were  singing  their  Duo  when  we 
came  in.     Unfortunately   poor   Grisi   was   taken  ill, 
quite   at   the   end   of   the   1st   act,   and   was   unable 
consequently  to  sing  her  fine  Scene  in  the  2nd  act. 

^  Thomas  Sheridan,  actor  and  lecturer  on  elocution.  Published 
in  1780  a  General  Dictionary  of  the  English  Language  with  a  special 
view  to  teaching  pronunciation,  A  work  of  phonetic  rather  than 
philological  value.. 


1838]  LORD    SHELBURNE'S    MARRIAGE  378 

Fanny  Elsler  danced  the  Chachucha  (at  my  desire) 
between  the  2nd  and  3rd  acts. 

Wednesday,  26th  July. — Lord  Melbourne  said, 
"Lord  Dimcannon  tells  me  he  thinks  that  marriage 
of  Lord  Shelburne's^  is  quite  off."  Lord  Melbourne 
said  that  somebody  said  to  him  (Ld.  Shelburne)  how 
handsome  Miss  Elphinstone  was  ;  upon  which  he 
rephed,  "  I  don't  think  so  ;  but  beauty  is  not  the 
thing  to  look  to  in  a  Wife."  Now  this  may  have 
been  repeated  to  her,  Lord  Melbourne  says,  and  of 
course  could  not  please  her  ;  and  the  young  lady  may 
have  said.  Lord  Melbourne  continued,  "  Why,  you 
don't  seem  to  show  that  fondness  for  me  you  ought 
to  have,  and  therefore  I  think  we'd  better  break  it  off 
altogether."  Lady  Kerry ,^  he  said,  had  told  Lord 
Duncannon  that  she  believed  it  was  all  off ;  I  ob- 
served, Why  then  had  Lord  Lansdowne  announced 
it  to  me,  if  it  was  not  quite  settled  ? — Lord  Mel- 
bourne said,  "  The  same  thing  happened  to  Lord 
Duncannon  that  happened  to  you  "  ;  Lord  Lans- 
downe announced  it  to  him — said  it  gave  him  great 
pleasure — that  it  was  very  nearly  settled  but  they 
did  not  wish  to  speak  of  it  for  the  present ;  "  and 
two  hours  afterwards  he  got  a  letter  from  Lans- 
downe, saying  it  was  not  at  all  settled,"  and  that  he 
should  not  mention  it.^  Lord  Melbourne  then  asked 
if  I  had  got  the  letter  he  sent  me,  from  the  Duchess 

^  Eldest  STirviving  son  of  the  third  Marquess  of  Lansdowne,  and 
afterwards  fovirth  Marquess.  The  elder  brother  (Lord  Kerry)  had  died 
without  male  issue. 

2  Avuit  of  Lord  Shelburne.  She  was  a  daughter  of  the  fourth  Earl 
of  Bessborough. 

3  Lord  Shelburne  married  in  1840  Lady  Georgina  Herbert,  daughter 
of  the  eleventh  Earl  of  Pembroke.  She  died  in  the  following  year. 
In  1843  he  married  the  Hon.  Emily  Elphinstone-de-Flahaut,  in  her 
own  right  Baroness  Nairne. 

1—25* 


374  A    DINNER    PARTY  t^T.19 

of  Sutherland  to  him,  saying  her  sister  Lady  Burling- 
ton *  gladly  accepted  the  situation  of  Lady  of  the 
Bedchamber ;  and  Lord  Melbourne  said,  "  That 
may  now  be  considered  as  settled  "  ;  and  that  Lady 
Lansdowne  had  best  be  spoken  to  about  it  all ; 
which  I  begged  him  to  be  kind  enough  to  do,  which 
he  said  he  would.  I  told  Lord  Melbourne  that 
Conyngham  had  told  me  that  he  heard  from  Frederic 
Byng,  that  Lord  Essex  '  was  so  excessively  pleased 
at  my  having  called  up  Lady  Essex  (Miss  Stephens, 
the  Singer  that  was,  and  married  about  2  or  3 
months  ago  to  Lord  Essex)  at  the  Ball,  and  having 
spoken  to  her  ;  this  touched  Lord  Melbourne  ;  we 
both  agreed  she  was  a  very  nice  person.^  Wrote  my 
journal.  At  a  J  to  8  I  went  into  the  Throne  room 
with  my  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  Feo  and  Mamma, 
where  I  found  the  Duchess  of  Gloucester,  the  Duke 
of  Sussex,  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Cambridge,  and 
Augusta  and  George.  After  waiting  a  little  while 
we  went  into  the  green  drawing-room,  which  looked 
very  handsome  lit  up,  and  was  full  of  people  all  in 
uniform.  I  subjoin  an  account  of  all  the  arrange- 
ments and  all  the  people.  After  remaining  for 
about  five  minutes  in  that  room,  talking  to  several 
people,  amongst  others  to  good  Lord  Melbourne,  we 
went  in  to  dinner,  which  was  served  in  the  Gallery, 
and  looked,  I  must  say,  most  brilliant  and  beautiful. 
We  sat  down  103,  and  might  have  been  more.  The 
display  of  plate  at  one  end  of  the  room  was  really 
very  handsome.     I  sat  between   Uncle   Sussex  and 

^  Formerly  Lady  Cavendish.  Her  husband  had  succeeded  as 
second  Earl  of  Burlington  in  1834.     See  ante,  p.  53.     She  died  in  1840. 

2  George,  fifth  Earl  of  Essex  (1757-1830). 

'  Ladies  of  unblemished  character,  retired  from  the  stage,  were 
permitted  to  appear  at  Court. 


1838]  A    RECEPTION  375 

Prince  Esterhazy.  The  music  was  in  a  small 
Orchestra  in  the  Saloon,  and  sounded  extremely 
well.  Uncle  Sussex  seemed  in  very  good  spirits,  and 
Esterhazy  in  high  force,  and  full  of  fun,  and  talking 
so  loud.  I  drank  a  glass  of  stein-wein  with  Lord 
Melbourne  who  sat  a  good  way  down  on  my  left 
between  the  Duke  of  Devonshire  and  Lord  Holland. 
After  dinner  we  went  into  the  Yellow  drawing-room. 
Princesse  Schwartzenberg  looked  very  pretty  but 
tired  ;  and  Mme.  Zavadowsky  beautiful,  and  so 
sweet  and  placid.  About  20  m.  after  we  ladies  came 
in,  the  gentlemen  joined  us.  I  spoke  to  almost 
everybody  ;  Lord  Grey  looked  well  ^  ;  the  Duke  of 
Wellington  ill  but  cheerful  and  in  good  spirits.  I 
spoke  for  some  time  also  with  Lord  Melbourne,  who 
thought  the  Gallery  looked  very  handsome,  and  that 
the  whole  "  did  very  well  "  ;  "I  don't  see  how  it 
could  do  better,"  he  said.  He  admired  the  large 
diadem  I  had  on.  At  about  11  came  some  people 
who  (as  the  Gallery  was  full  of  dinner  &c.)  were 
obliged  to  come  through  the  Closet,  and  of  whom  I 
annex  a  List.  Lady  Clanricarde  I  did  not  think 
looked  very  well  ;  Lady  Ashley,  Lady  Fanny,  Lady 
Wilhelmina,  and  Lady  Mary  Grimston  looked  ex- 
tremely pretty.  Strauss  played  delightfully  the 
whole  evening  in  the  Saloon.  After  staying  a  little 
while  in  the  Saloon,  we  went  and  sat  down  in  the 
further  drawing-room,  next  to  the  dining-room.  I 
sat  on  a  sofa  between  Princesse  Schwartzenberg  and 
Mme.    Stroganoff  ^  ;     Lord    Melbourne    sitting    next 

^  Charles,  Earl  Grey,  the  ex-Prime  Minister,  who  rarely  came  to 
town  at  this  period  of  his  life,  and  must  have  been  a  novelty  for  the 
Queen. 

*  Count  Stroganoff  was  the  special  representative  of  the  Czar  at 
the  Coronation. 


876  GEORGE    III.'S    SONS  [^t.  19 

Mme.  Stroganoff,  and  in  a  little  while  Esterhazy 
near  him,  and  Furstenberg  (who  talked  amazingly 
to  Lord  Melbourne,  and  made  us  laugh  a  good  deal) 
behind  him.  The  Duchess  of  Sutherland  and  the 
Duchess  of  Northumberland  sat  near  Princess 
Schwartzenberg,  and  a  good  many  of  the  other 
Ambassadors  and  Ambassadresses  were  seated  near 
them.  The  Duchess  of  Cambridge  and  Mamma  were 
opposite  to  us  ;  and  all  the  others  in  different  parts 
of  the  room.  Several  gentlemen,  foreigners,  came 
up  behind  the  sofa  to  speak  to  me.  We  talked  and 
laughed  a  good  deal  together.  I  stayed  up  till  a 
J  to  1.     It  was  a  successful  evening.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  1st  August. — I  asked  Lord  Melbourne 
if  he  saw  any  likeness  in  me  to  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  ; 
he  said  none  whatever ;  for  that  when  formerly 
they  wished  to  make  me  angry,  they  always  said  I 
was  like  him.  I  asked  if  Lord  Melbourne  remem- 
bered the  Duke's  father  ;  he  said  he  did  ;  that  he 
was  a  very  good  man,  but  also  very  dull  and  tire- 
some. His  two  brothers  were  Edward,  Duke  of 
York,  who  died  long  before  Lord  Melbourne  was 
born,  and  Henry,  the  Duke  of  Cumberland.  "  The 
Duke  of  Gloucester  and  the  Duke  of  Cumberland 
always  remained  Whigs,"  Lord  Melbourne  said, 
"  and  never  could  understand  the  King's  (George  III.) 
change  ;  they  said  the  Whigs  brought  their  Family 
to  this  country  ;  they  went  with  the  King  but  could 
not  understand  it."  Lord  Melbourne  said,  "  When- 
ever George  IV.  took  offence  at  the  church,  he  used 
to  say,  '  By  God,  my  Uncle  the  Duke  of  Cumberland 
was  right  when  he  told  me,  The  people  you  must  be 
apprehensive  of,  are  those  black-legged  gentlemen.'  " 
I  said  to  Lord  Melbourne  that  Princess  Sophia 
Matilda  told  me  that  George  III.  had  four  illnesses. 


1838]  GEORGE    III.'S    ILLNESSES  377 

Lord    Melbourne    said    they   were   not   all    declared 
illnesses.     The  1st,  he  said,  was  in  1788  ;  the  2nd  in 
1800,  then  in  1804,  which  was  not  exactly  allowed 
to  be  so  ;  and  the  last  in  '10,  when  he  never  got  well 
again  ;    it  is  said.  Lord  Melbourne  told  me,  that  he 
had  been  ill  in  the  early  part  of  his  reign  ;    as  early 
as  63  or  4,  but   no   one   knows  exactly  ;    he  had  a 
very  bad  fever  then.     I  observed  that  the  Chelten- 
ham Waters,  it  was  said,  brought  it  on  the  first  time. 
Lord  Melbourne  said,  so  it  was  said,  but  that  he  did 
very  odd  things  when  he  first  went  down  there.  .  .  . 
He  used  to  give,  Lord  Melbourne  said,  all  the  orders 
before  his  being  ill  with  perfect  composure.     When- 
ever he   was  going  to  be  ill,  the  King  heard — Lord 
Melbourne    continued — perpetually    ringing    in     his 
ears,    one    of    Handel's    oratorios  ;    and    was    con- 
stantly thinking  of  Octavius  ^  who  died,  "  of  whom 
he  (the  King)  said,  '  Heaven  will  be  no  Heaven  to 
me  if  my  Octavius  isn't  there.'  "     But  his  "  master 
delusion,"    as    Lord    Melbourne    expressed    it,    was 
thinking  that   he   was    married   to  Lady  Pembroke 
(Lady  Elizabeth  Spencer  that  was,   and  Mother  to 
the    late    Lord    Pembroke,    and    who    only   died   7 
or    8    years    ago),    with    whom    he    had    been  very 
much    in    love   in    his    young    days,    and    very  near 
marrying.      I   told    Lord  Melbourne    I   remembered 
going  to  see  her  when  she  was  ninety,  and  she  was 
very    handsome    even   then.      Lord    Melbourne   then 
told    me  how  very  near  George  III.  was  marrying 
Lady    Sarah   Lennox,'    sister    to   the   late   Duke   of 
Richmond,    who    was   excessively    handsome.     Lord 

1  His  son  who  died,  aged  four  years,  in  1783. 

2  Lady  Sarah  Lennox,  who  was  a  daughter  of  the  second  Duke  of 
Richmond,  married  first.  Sir  Thomas  Charles  Bunbury,  secondly  the 
Hon.  George  Napier.     George  III.  was  undoubtedly  much  attracted 


378  LADY  SARAH  LENNOX         [^t.  19 

Melbourne  said  he  was  only  prevented  from  marry- 
ing her  "  by  her  levity."  This  was  quite  early  in 
his  reign.  He  told  Lady  Susan  Strangways,  Lord 
Ilchester's  Aunt,  "  Don't  you  think  I  ought  to 
marry  a  Subject  ?  I  think  I  ought ;  and  that  must 
be  your  friend  "  (meaning  Lady  Sarah  Lennox)  ; 
"  and  you  may  tell  her  so  from  me."  "  Then,"  Lord 
Melbourne  continued,  "  she  "  (Lady  Sarah)  "  com- 
mitted every  sort  of  folly  ;  she  entered  into  a  flirta- 
tion with  the  Marquis  of  Lothian,  rode  out  with  him 
after  a  masquerade  quite  early  in  the  morning  ;  this 
was  represented  to  the  King,  and  detournee^d  His 
Majesty  a  little,"  said  Lord  Melbourne  laughing. 
Nothing  could  equal  the  beauty  of  the  Women  at 
that  time,  said  Lord  Melbourne,  from  all  the  ac- 
counts he  heard,  the  Duchess  of  Argyll  and  Lady 
Coventry,  sisters,^  &c.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  5th  August. — Spoke  of  Lord  Alfred's  ^ 
having  gone  to  see  his  father's  leg,  which  is  buried  at 
Waterloo,  and  of  100  old  women  having  come  to  see 
him  get  into  his  carriage  when  they  heard  whose 
son  he  was.  We  spoke  of  all  this  ;  of  Sir  H.  Vivian's 
suffering  much  now.  Lord  Melbourne  said,  in  con- 
sequence of  a  severe  blow  he  got  at  Waterloo  "  by  a 
spent  grape  shot."  Lord  Melbourne  went  over  to 
Brussels  almost  immediately  after  the  battle  of 
Waterloo,  to  see  Sir  Frederic  Ponsonby  ^  who  was 
dreadfully  wounded,  stabbed  through  and  through  ; 
Lord  Melbourne  said,  though  he  lived  for  20  years 

by  this  lady.  By  her  second  marriage  she  became  the  "  Mother  of 
the  Napiers,"  a  designation  almost  as  famous  in  the  British  history  of 
the  Napoleonic  Wars  as  the  "  Mother  of  the  Gracchi"  in  Republican 
Rome. 

1  Daughters  of  John  Gunning,  of  Castle  Coote.     See  ante,  p.  215. 

2  Lord  Alfred  Paget.     See  ante,  p.  226. 
'  See  ante,  p.  310. 


1838]  MEHEMET    ALI  379 

afterwards,  he  certainly  died  in  consequence  of  these 
wounds.  I  asked  Lord  Melbourne  if  he  didn't  think 
Johnson's  Poetry  very  hard  ;  he  said  he  did,  and 
that  Garrick  said,  "  Hang  it,  it's  as  hard  as  Greek." 
His  Prose  he  admires,  though  he  said  pedantry  was 
to  be  observed  throughout  it ;  and  Lord  Melbourne 
thinks  what  he  said  superior  to  what  he  wrote.  In 
spite  of  all  that  pedantry.  Lord  Melbourne  said,  "  a 
deep  feeling  and  a  great  knowledge  of  human 
nature  "  pervaded  all  he  said  and  wrote.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  7th  August. — I  asked  him  if  he  had  seen 
Pozzo,  which  he  told  me  in  the  evening  he  was  going 
to  do  ;  he  said  he  had,  and  it  was  about  the  Pasha 
of  Egypt  ^  ;  and  he  said  Russia  would  go  quite  with 
England  in  the  whole  affair  and  quite  approved  of 
England's  intention  of  sending  a  Fleet  there  ;  at 
the  same  time,  Lord  Melbourne  said,  he  stated  dis- 
tinctly, that  if  we  didn't  send  a  Fleet,  they  would  be 
obliged  to  march  an  Army  into  Turkey  for  its  pro- 
tection ;  but,  Lord  Melbourne  said  he  hoped,  from 
what  he  saw  by  the  last  despatches,  that  the  Pasha 
had  given  up  the  idea  of  declaring  his  Indei^end- 
ence.  *'  I  think  he  only  tried  it,"  Lord  Melbourne 
said,  "  to  see  what  effect  it  would  make  1  "  Lord 
Melbourne  said  he  had  also  seen  Lord  Palmerston, 
and  had  spoken  to  him  about  these  Belgian  Affairs, 
which  they  still  hope,  in  spite  of  many  difficulties,  to 
settle  ;  and  they  have  now  satisfied  Sebastiani,* 
who.  Lord  Melbourne  said,  was  of  a  jealous  disposi- 
tion and  thought  they  were  going  on  without  him 

1  Mehemet  Ali,  the  Paslia,  having  announced  his  intention  to  pay 
no  more  tribute  to  the  Porte  (an  action  equivalent  to  a  declaration 
of  independence),  great  efforts  were  made  by  the  representatives  of 
the  Powers  to  induce  him  to  reconsider  his  decision. 

2  Xhe  French  Ambassador  in  London. 


380  MELBOURNE    AND    KING    LEOPOLD         [«t.i9 

with  Billow  ^  ;  Lord  Palmerston  had  only  got  from 
Van  de  Weyer  a  statement  of  this  Debt,^  Lord  Mel- 
bourne said ;  but  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  alter ; 
I  expressed  a  fear  of  the  Belgians  resisting.  Lord 
Melbourne  said  (which  is  quite  true)  that  it  would  be 
very  awkward  if  Uncle  Leopold  came  over  just  in 
the  midst  of  these  Conferences,  which  would  have 
the  effect,  as  if  he  came  for  that  purpose,  and  which 
Lord  Melbourne  said  would  prevent  their  acting  as 
much  for  his  interests  as  they  otherwise  might  do. 
said  I  quite  felt  it ;  but  that  Lord  Melbourne  had 
best  send  for  Stockmar  and  get  him  to  settle  it  with 
the  King.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  12th  August. — Saw  Stockmar  for  a  little 
while,  and  then  took  leave  of  this  good  and  kind 
friend,  which  I  was  really  sorry  to  do.  He  told  me 
he  had  been  to  see  Lord  Melbourne,  and  he  said  I 
should  have  (what  /  have  always  had)  the  greatest 
confidence  in  Lord  Melbourne,  and  ask  his  advice, 
not  only  in  Political  Matters,  but  in  domestic  affairs, 
— and  ask  his  advice  just  like  a  Father,  which  are 
quite  my  feelings.  Lord  Melbourne  was  very  funny 
about  the  Statue  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  which 
is  put  up  (in  wood)  only  as  a  Trial,  on  the  Archway 
on  Constitution  Hill,^  and  which  we  think  looks 
dreadful  and  much  too  large  ;    but  Lord  Melbourne 

*  Baron  Heinrich  von  Billow,  many  years  Prussian  representative 
in  London,  afterwards  Prussian  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs. 

2  The  adjustment  of  the  debt  between  Holland  and  Belgium. 

®  The  equestrian  statue  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  stood  on  the 
arch  at  Hyde  Park  Corner  from  1846  to  1883.  It  excited  much 
ridicule  at  the  time  of  its  erection.  There  was  a  question  of  its 
removal,  but  the  Duke  of  Wellington  strongly  opposed  the  suggestion. 
He  said  that  he  never  wished  his  statue  to  be  put  upon  the  Arch,  but 
once  there,  there  it  should  remain.  It  was  removed  nearly  forty  years 
later  to  Aldershot.  Recently  some  prancing  horses  and  a  chariot 
have  taken  the  place  of  old  Copenhagen  and  the  Duke. 


1838]  THE    QUEEN'S    SPEECH  381 

said  he  thought  a  statue  would  look  well  there,  and 
that  it  should  be  as  large.  We  then  observed  what 
a  pity  Wyatt  should  do  the  statue,  as  we  thought 
he  did  them  so  ill ;  and  we  mentioned  George  III.'s  ; 
but  Lord  Melbourne  does  not  dislike  that,  and  says 
it's  exactly  like  George  III.,  and  like  his  way  of 
bowing.^  He  continued,  "  I  never  will  have  any- 
thing to  do  with  Artists  ;  I  wished  to  keep  out  of 
it  all ;    for  they're  a  waspish  set  of  people."  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  lUh  August. — I  went  and  fetched  the 
Speech,  and  he  read  it  to  me,  in  his  beautiful,  clear 
manner,  and  with  that  fine  voice  of  his,  and  full  of 
fine  expression.  I  always  feel  that  /  can  read  it 
better  when  I  have  heard  him  read  it.  The  Speech 
is,  as  Lord  Melbourne  said,  "  not  long  and  safe." 

Wednesday,  15th  August. — Lady  Normanby  then 
practised  putting  on  my  crown,  for  to-morrow.  After 
this  I  read  my  Speech  twice  over,  in  my  crown. 
Played  and  sang.  Wrote.  Wrote  my  journal.  I 
forgot  to  say  that  I  got  in  the  morning,  2  notes  from 
Lord  Melbourne  in  which  it  seemed  almost  certain 
that  the  Prorogation  could  only  take  place  on  Friday  ; 
but  at  a  little  before  2  I  got  another  note  from  him, 
in  which  he  said  that  he  heard  from  Lord  John,  it 
could  take  place  next  day,  and  therefore,  that  there 
would  be  a  Council.  I  asked  Lord  Melbourne  if 
it  ever  had  been  usual  for  the  Sovereign  to  read  the 
Speech  after  the  Prime  Minister  had  done  so  at 
the  Council,  as  Lord  Lansdowne  had  twice  asked  that 
question.  Lord  Melbourne  said,  never ;  but  that 
the  late  King  had  done  it  once,  when  he  was  in  a 
great  state  of  irritation,  and  had  said,  "  I  will  read 

1  As  an  illustration  of  the  vagaries  of  "  taste  "  in  Art,  it  may  be 
mentioned  that  this  statue  is  now  considered  one  of  the  most  successful 
in  London. 


382  LORD    BROUGHAM  [.«t.  i9 

it  myself,  paragraph  by  paragraph."  This  was  the 
last  time  the  late  King  ever  prorogued  Parliament 
in  person.  I  asked  if  Brougham  was  in  the  House ; 
he  said  no,  he  was  gone.  I  told  him  I  heard  Brougham 
had  asked  Lady  Cowper  down  to  Brougham  Hall ; 
but  that  she  wouldn't  go  ;  I  asked  if  she  knew 
him  (Brougham)  well ;  Lord  Melbourne  said  very 
well,  and  "  I've  known  him  all  my  life  ;  he  can't 
bear  me  now  ;  he  won't  speak  to  me  ;  I've  tried 
to  speak  to  him  on  ordinary  subjects  in  the  House 
of  Lords,  but  he  won't  answer,  and  looks  very  stern  "  ; 
Lord  Melbourne  said,  laughing,  "  Why,  we've  had 
several  severe  set-to's,  and  I've  hit  him  very  hard." 
I  asked  if  he  (B.)  didn't  still  sit  on  the  same  bench 
with  Lord  Melbourne.  "  Quite  on  the  gangway  ; 
only  one  between,"  replied  Lord  Melbourne.  Lord 
Melbourne  and  I  both  agreed  that  it  was  since 
the  King's  death  that  Brougham  was  so  enraged 
with  Lord  Melbourne  ;  for,  till  then,  he  would 
have  it  that  it  was  the  King^s  dislike  to  him  (and 
the  King  made  no  objection  whatever  to  him.  Lord 
Melbourne  told  me)  and  not  Lord  Melbourne  ;  "he 
wouldn't  believe  me,"  Lord  M.  said  ;  and  now  he's 
undeceived.  Brougham  always,  he  said,  used  to 
make  a  great  many  speeches.  I  observed  that  I 
thought  if  his  daughter  was  to  die,  he  would  go 
mad  ;  but  Lord  Melbourne  doesn't  think  so  ;  and 
said,  "  A  man  who  is  always  very  odd  never  goes 
really  mad." 

Thursday,  16th  August. — "  You  were  rather  ner- 
vous,"^ said  Lord  Melbourne  ;  to  which  I  replied,  dread- 
fully so  ;  "  More  so  than  any  time,"  he  continued. 
I  asked  if  it  was  observed  ;  he  said,  "  I  don't  think 
anyone  else  would  have  observed  it,  but  I  could  see 

^  This  refers  to  the  reading  by  the  Queen  of  her  "  Speech." 


1838]  END    OF    THE    SESSION  388 

you  were."  Spoke  of  my  fear  of  reading  it  too  low, 
or  too  loud,  or  too  quick  ;  "I  thought  you  read  it 
very  well,"  he  said  kindly.  I  spoke  of  my  great 
nervousness,  which  I  said  I  feared  I  never  would 
get  over.  "  I  won't  flatter  Your  Majesty  that  you 
ever  will ;  for  I  think  people  scarcely  ever  get  over 
it ;  it  belongs  to  a  peculiar  temperament,  sensitive 
and  susceptible  ;  that  shyness  generally  accompanies 
high  and  right  feelings,"  said  Lord  Melbourne 
most  kindly  ;  he  was  so  kind  and  paternal  to  me. 
He  spoke  of  my  riding,  which  he  thought  a  very 
good  thing.  "  It  gives  a  feeling  of  ease  the  day 
one  has  done  with  Parliament,"  said  Lord  Mel- 
bourne. He  spoke  of  the  people  in  the  Park  when 
I  went  to  the  House  ;  and  I  said  how  very  civil 
the  people  were — always — to  me  ;  which  touched 
him  ;  he  said  it  was  a  very  good  thing  ;  it  didn't  do 
to  rely  too  much  on  those  things,  but  that  it  was  well 
it  was  there.  I  observed  to  Lord  Melbourne  how  ill 
and  out  of  spirits  the  Duke  of  Sussex  was  ;  "I  have 
ended  the  Session  in  great  charity,"  said  Lord  Mel- 
bourne, "  with  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  but  I  don't 
end  it  in  charity  with  those  who  didn't  vote  with 
the  Duke  when  he  voted  with  us  "  ;  we  spoke  of  all 
that ;  "  The  Duke  is  a  very  great  and  able  man," 
said  Lord  Melbourne,  "  but  he  is  more  often  wrong 
than  right."  Lord  Holland  wouldn't  allow  this ; 
"  Well,  let's  throw  the  balance  the  other  way," 
continued  Lord  Melbourne,  "  but  when  he  is  wrong 
he   is   very  wrong." 

Friday,  17th  August. — I  then  told  Lord  Melbourne 
that  I  had  so  much  to  do,  I  didn't  think  I  possibly 
could  go  to  Windsor  on  Monday  ;  he  said  if  I  put 
off  going  once  for  that  reason,  I  should  have  to  put 
it  off  again,  which  I  wouldn't  allow  ;  I  said  there  were 


] 
J 


384  BELGIUM    AND    HOLLAND  [iET.i9 

so  many  things  to  go,  and  to  pack, — and  so  many 
useless  things  ;  "  I  wouldn't  take  those  useless 
things,"  said  Lord  Melbourne  laughing.  I  then 
added  that  he  couldn't  have  an  idea  of  the  number 
of  things  women  had  to  pack  and  take  ;  he  said 
many  men  had  quite  as  much, — which  I  said  couldn't 
be,  and  he  continued  that  Lord  Anglesey  had  36 
trunks  ;  and  that  many  men  had  30  or  40  different 
waistcoats,  and  neck-cloths,  to  choose  from  ;  which 
made  me  laugh  ;  I  said  a  man  couldn't  really  want 
more  than  3  or  4  coats  for  some  months.  He  said 
in  fact  6  were  enough  for  a  year, — but  that  people 
had  often  fancies  for  more.  I  said  our  dresses 
required  such  smooth  packing  ;  "  Coats  ought  to  be 
packed  smooth,"  replied  Lord  Melbourne.  I  asked 
Lord  Melbourne  if  Pozzo  had  spoken  at  all  about 
the  Belgian  affairs.  He  said  he  told  him  he  wouldn't 
meddle  with  them  at  all.  Spoke  of  Pozzo's  dis- 
liking Lord  Palmerston,  wlio  didn't,  he  fancied, 
treat  him  with  enough  igard  ;  and  Lord  Melbourne 
said  Palmerston  keeps  them  waiting  sometimes  for 
a  long  wiiile, — which,  though  they  say  they  don't 
mind  it,  they  do  mind  ;  and  we  both  agreed  that 
he  was  a  little  apt  to  sneer  sometimes,  and  to  make 
it  appear  absurd  what  people  said.  I  said,  inde- 
pendent of  Uncle's  coming — hurting  his  interests 
in  the  Conferences — his  own  country  was  in  too 
disturbed  a  state  to  do  so  ^  ;  Lord  Melbourne  said 
whatever  would  be  done  would  be  attributed  to 
Uncle's  presence ;  that  justice  must  be  done  to 
Belgium  ;  but  that  there  was  such  a  desire  in  the 
Cabinet  to  settle  the  affair,  that  they  wouldn't  be 
disposed  to  listen  to  any  unreasonable  demands  of 

1  All  this  paragraph  refers  to  the  disputes  between  Belgium  and 
Holland  over  their  respective  financial  responsibiUties. 


1838]  ANECDOTES  385 

Belgium  ;  I  said  one  felt  less  anxious  reading  the 
Speech  at  the  close  than  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Session.  Lord  Melbourne  said  he  didn't  know  ; 
"  The  responsibility  is  so  much  greater  during  the 
Vacations  ;  when  Parliament  is  sitting  one  comes 
at  once  to  Parliament ;  one  has  that  to  go  to,  and 
hears  the  worst  at  once."  .  .  . 

Sunday,  19th  August. — Spoke  of  the  Phoenix  Park 
being  considered  unwholesome  ;  of  its  being  drained 
by  what  they  call  the  Sub-soil-plough.  He  repeated 
the  anecdote  about  Lord  Talbot ;  the  present 
Lord  Talbot — (I  believe  I  have  already  noted  down 
the  anecdote  as  he  told  it  me  twice  before,  but  am  not 
quite  sure) — asked  someone  why  they  had  never 
thought  of  draining  the  Phoenix  Park,  and  they 
replied,  "  Why,  your  Ancestors  were  so  much  em- 
ployed in  draining  the  Country,  that  they  had  no 
time  to  think  of  draining  the  Park."  He  said 
Talleyrand  told  an  anecdote  of  a  lady  in  the  time  of 
the  Revolution  who  was  speaking  of  what  she  would 
be,  and  she  said,  "  Paysanne,  oui  ;  mais  Bourgeoise, 
jamais."  I  said  to  Lord  Melbourne  I  was  afraid 
he  disliked  the  Germans,  as  he  was  always  laughing 
at  them,  which  he  wouldn't  allow  at  all  and  laughed 
much.  He  said,  "  I've  a  great  opinion  of  their 
talents,  but  not  of  their  beauty."  He  asked  if  I  had 
seen  Mr.  MacNeill's^  despatches  giving  an  account 
of  his  going  into  Herat  at  night ;  I  replied,  I  had 
not ;  Lord  Melbourne  said  it  was  a  very  curious  and 
even  fearful  account,  his  going  through  these  Barbaric 
Armies  at  night,  9  o'clock,  all  the  Persians  without, 
prepared  for  the  Attack,  and  all  those  within,  for 
Defence  ;     and    he    gave    an    interesting    account    of 

^  Afterwards  Sir  John  MacNeill.     He  had  been  sent  as  Envoy  to 
Teheran  to  try  to  prevent  the  Shah  attacking  the  Afghans. 

1—26 


^86  MACNEILL    iN    PERSIA  L^t.  19 

one  of  the  principal  persons  in  Herat ;  Mr.  MacNeill 
said  he  found  them  quite  disposed  to  negotiate,  but 
when  he  returned  to  the  Shah's  camp,  he  found  the 
Russian  Ambassador  there,  and  the  Shah  would 
listen  to  nothing ;  so  Mr.  MacNeill  came  away.  Spoke 
of  not  liking  the  Cathedral  Service  and  all  that  sing- 
ing, and  Lord  Melbourne  said,  "It  is  inconsistent 
with  a  calm  and  right  devotion  ;  it's  papistical,  and 
theatrical."  ^ 

Monday,  20th  August. — Spoke  of  Pozzo's  being  very 
civil  to  Lord  Melbourne ;  Lord  Melbourne  said, 
"  He's  very  fond  of  me,"  upon  which  I  said,  "  I 
don't  wonder  at  that,"  which  made  Lord  Melbourne 
smile.  He  continued,  that  Lord  Palmerston  gave 
Pozzo  rather  unnecessary  offence  by  not  treating 
him  with  respect  and  egard,  which  those  sensitive 
Corsicans  and  Italians  expect.  I  said  to  Lord  Mel- 
bourne, I  felt  often  ashamed  at  being  so  ignorant 
about  many  things,  and  at  being  obliged  to  ask 
him  about  so  many  things.  He  replied  most  kindly, 
"  Oh  !  no,  you  know  everything  very  well ;  it's 
impossible  for  anybody  to  know  everything  that  it 
is  right  for  them  to  know."  We  spoke  of  the  Arch- 
duke Charles,  who,  as  Mr.  Macgregor  told  Lord  Mel- 
bourne, "  and  as  we  know,"  he  said,  was  a  most 
able  man,  but  wouldn't  take  the  slightest  part  in 
public  affairs.  We  spoke  of  how  many  brothers 
there  are  still  alive  :  Archduke  Charles,  Archduke 
Palatine,  Archduke  John,  Archduke  Rainer,  and 
Archduke  Louis.  Spoke  of  Hayter's  Picture,  and 
of  his  having  made  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland  so  like 
already.  Spoke  of  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland's 
\   features  being  large,  which   he  agreed  in  ;  but  that 

1  Lord  Melbourne  was  a    "  low  Chvirchman  and  an  Erastian,"  like 
so  many  of  the  Whigs  of  that  day. 


1838]  ROYAL    DISCRETION  387 

he  liked   large  features,  for    that   people  with  small    f 
features  and  "  Squeeny  noses  "  never   did  anything. 
Spoke  of  the  business  of  the  Army,  which  Lord  Mel- 
bourne said  he  was  afraid  Lord  Howick  would  bring 
on,  and  that  there  would  be  a  good  deal  of  difficulty 
about  it.     Lord  Howick,  he  says,  has  pledged  him- 
self   about    it,    and    is    displeased    with    the    Horse- 
Guards.     He    (Lord    Howick)    is    very    indiscreet    in 
the  House  of  Commons,  Lord  Melbourne  said.     He 
has    written    Lord    Melbourne    a    letter    about    this 
Army  business,  which  Lord  Melbourne  told  him  he 
would  answer  ;    but  he  begged  Lord  Melbourne  not 
to  write  to  him,  as  long  as  he  was  at  Spa, — as  the 
letter   would   be   read.     I   said   I   hoped   Lord   Mel- 
bourne had  never  found  me  indiscreet,  or  that  I  had 
ever  repeated  things  which  I  ought  not  to  have  done. 
He  said,  "  Not  at  all ;    no  one  is  so  discreet,"  and 
that    it   was    impossible    sometimes    to    help    letting      ! 
out  things.     I  then  also  begged  him  always  to  tell      \ 
me,  when  he  heard  anything,  might  it  be  agreeable       j 
or  disagreeable,  and  that  he  should  never  be  afraid       ^ 
of  telling  me  so  ;    which  he  promised  to  do.^ 

Tuesday,  21st  August. — Lord  Melbourne  said  he 
had  seen  Lord  Palmerston,  who  told  him  he  hoped 
to    be   able    soon   to   bring   this    Belgian   business  ^ 

1  This  love  of  straight  dealing  and  dislike  of  flattery  were  lifelong 
characteristics  of  the  Queen. 

2  In  1815  Belgium  and  Holland  were,  by  the  action  of  the  Evu-opean 
Powers  at  the  Congress  of  Vienna,  united  into  one  Kingdom.  This 
led  to  constant  friction  and  even  to  open  hostilities  between  the  two 
nations,  and  in  1831  a  Conference  of  the  Powers  decreed  a  dissolu- 
tion of  the  Union,  and  drew  up  a  Treaty,  but  the  division  of  territory 
again  led  to  a  war  which  is  chiefly  notable  for  the  siege  of  Antwerp 
in  1832.  In  1838  Holland  announced  for  the  first  time  her  readi- 
ness to  accede  to  the  provisions  of  the  Treaty  of  1832.  The  Belgians 
claimed  that  this  acquiescence  came  too  late,  but  under  pressure  of  the 
Powers   she  had  in  the  end  to  give  her  assent.     During  this  excite- 


388  BELGIAN    BUSINESS  [^t.i9 

to  a  sort  of  conclusion  ;  that  he  had  had  several 
conversations  with  Biilow,  and  Senfft,^  "  who  seems 
a  very  fair  man  "  ;  and  that  they  think  they  may 
settle  this  Debt,  and  satisfy  the  Belgians  by  this 
slight  change.  "  Then  I  talked  to  him,"  continued 
Lord  Melbourne,  "  about  the  King's  coming,  and 
that  it  would  be  more  for  the  disadvantage  of  his 
Interests."  I  then  spoke  of  my  having  received  such 
an  odd  present  of  a  Kitten  in  the  morning,  which 
made  him  laugh.  (I  got  a  basket,  which  they  said 
came  from  Sir  Henry  Wheatley,  and  which  I  thought 
was  full  of  flowers,  and  when  my  Maid  opened  it, 
we  found  a  pretty  little  Kitten  in  it — which  some 
poor  people  sent  me  as  a  present.) 

Monday,  27th  August. — Of  Uncle  Leopold  ;  when 
he  married  Princess  Charlotte ;  Lord  Melbourne 
hadn't  the  slightest  acquaintance  with  her,  and 
never  had  spoken  to  her.  She  never  came  to  her 
father  at  that  time.  Lord  M.  said  he  never  went 
near  the  Princess  of  Wales,  for  he  said  considering 
that  he  opposed  the  Regent  so  much  in  Parliament, 
he  didn't  wish  to  oppose  him  in  his  quarrels  with 
his  Wife  ;  for,  he  said,  he  had  been  so  much  with 
the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  was  so  much  attached  to 
him,  that  he  thought  that  would  have  been  wrong. 

Tuesday,  28th  August. — Lord  Melbourne  then  read 
me  a  letter  from  Lord  John  about  all  this  Belgian 
business ;  he  says  that  he  won't  support  Belgium 
in  its  new  claims.     Lord  Melbourne  said,  "  It's  very 

ment  the  failure  of  the  Bank  of  Brussels  produced  a  financial  crisis 
which  caused  great  distress  among  the  people. 

1  Count  von  Senfft  Pilsach  was  Austrian  Minister  at  The  Hague, 
and  came  to  England  in  1838  as  Austrian  Plenipotentiary  at  the 
C!onference  which  took  place  in  London  to  settle  the  Separation  of 
Holland  and  Belgium.  He  signed  the  Treaty  of  1839  on  behalf  of 
Austria. 


1838]  WAR    STRENGTH    IN    PEACE  389 

well  of  John  saying  he  won't  support,"  and  so  forth, 
but  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  us  not  to  take 
one  side  ;  our  interests  would  compel  us  to  do  so  ; 
they  lay  so  much  with  the  Low  Countries  ;  England, 
he  said,  could  never  permit  France  to  have  possession 
of  Antwerp,  which  was  such  a  great  Maritime  place. 
He  then  read  me  a  letter  from  Lord  Minto  relative 
to  an  alarm  which  prevails,  and  which  was  caused. 
Lord  Melbourne  says,  by  a  speech  the  Duke  of 
Wellington  made  in  the  House,  about  the  weakness 
of  our  Naval  force  ;  which  Lord  Minto  quite  dis- 
claims. Lord  Melbourne  sent  him  a  paper  of  Sir 
Robert  Inglis's  ^  about  the  Russian,  French,  and 
American  Fleets  ;  which  Lord  Minto  says  is  quite 
erroneous  ;  Lord  Minto  states  that  in  a  very  few 
weeks,  he  could  be  quite  ready  for  war  ;  Lord  M.  says, 
what  countries  generally  ruin  themselves  with,  is, 
keeping  up  their  Naval  and  Military  Establishments 
during  the  time  of  peace  ;  and  he  said,  "  Better  be 
at  War  then."  ^  He  owned  that  the  Russians 
sending  their  fleet  to  the  Black  Sea  "certainly  is 
far  from  pleasant."  Then  I  spoke  of  Lord  Pon- 
sonby's  great  alarm  about  Russian  Influence,  which 
Lord  Melbourne  said  always  was  the  case.  Spoke 
of  Queen  Charlotte's  having  been  supposed  to  have 
had  a  great  many  presents  which  she  was  fond  of, 
from  Mrs.  Hastings  *  ;  and  Lord  Melbourne  said  the 
King  was  thought  rather  to  go  with  Hastings,  who 
was  accused  and  tried  for  misdemeanours  in  India. 
There  was  an  ivory  bed-stead  Queen  Charlotte  got, 

^  Member  for  Oxford  University.  He  had  displaced  Sir  Robert 
Peel  at  the  time  of  the  Tory  split  on  Catholic  Emancipation 

2  This  was  common  Wliig  doctrine  up  to  the  Crimean  War,  when 
the  unreadiness  of  the  Military  Authorities  caused  a  reaction,  which 
indirectly  led  to  the  fall  of  the  Aberdeen  Government. 

*  Wife  of  Warren  Hastings. 

1—26* 


390  REMINISCENCES    OF    GEORGE    IV.  [^t.i9 

which  Lord  M.  beheved  was  at  Frogmore  now. 
Spoke  of  Queen  Adelaide's  having  got  all  those  Shawls 
which  the  King  of  Oude  sent.  This  led  us  to  speak 
of  the  Crown  Jewels  ;  of  there  not  being  many,  yet 
more  than  I  ever  wished  to  wear,  of  my  not 
liking  those  sort  of  things.  Lord  M.  said  he  didn't 
like  a  profusion  of  them,  but  thought  a  few  fine 
ones  the  best.  Spoke  of  the  Jewels  which  Queen 
Charlotte  left  to  her  daughters.  Lord  Melbourne 
said  the  Queen  Consort  can  do  with  her  own  things 
what  she  pleases  ;  can  make  her  own  Will,  and  "  is 
a  femme  seule,^^  for  no  other  woman  can — all  is  her 
husband's.  Lord  Melbourne  (in  reply  to  my  ques- 
tion when  he  first  knew  George  IV.)  said,  as  soon  as 
he  could  remember  any  one  ;  he  was  4  when  the 
King  was  21,  in  '83,  when  Lord  Melbourne's  father 
was  first  put  about  the  Prince  of  Wales.  "  He  used 
to  be  at  Whitehall,  or  Piccadilly  ^  where  we  then 
lived,  morning,  noon  and  night,"  Lord  Melbourne 
said  ;  and  he  used  to  come  down  to  Brocket ;  he 
always  was  fond  of  children  and  took  notice  of  them  ; 
I  said  he  took  notice  of  me  ;  I  observed  how  much 
more  submissive  we  were  to  him  than  to  the  late 
King  ;  Lord  Melbourne  said  George  IV.  had  more 
power.  Lord  Melbourne  said  none  of  the  Royal 
Family  could  marry  without  the  Sovereign's  leave 
since  the  Marriage  Act,  passed  early  in  George  III.'s 
reign,  in  consequence.  Lord  Melbourne  believes,  of 
the  Duke  of  Cumberland's  marrying  a  Mrs.  Luttrell  ^ 

1  Melboiirne  House  stood  on  the  site  of  the  Albany.  See  Vol.  11. ,  p.  96. 

2  In  1771  the  Duke  of  Cumberland  secretly  married  Anne,  daughter 
of  Lord  Irnham  (afterwards  Earl  of  Carhampton)  and  widow  of 
Andrew  Horton.  Her  brother  was  Colonel  Luttrell,  the  opponent  of 
Wilkes.  Not  long  afterwards,  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  made  public 
the  fact  of  his  marriage  to  the  Dowager  Countess  Waldegrave. 
These  two  marriages  led  to  the  passing  of  the  Royal  Marriage  Act, 


1838]  ROYAL    MARRIAGES  391 

which  was  very  much  dishked ;  else  the  Duke  of 
Sussex  might  have  married  Lady  Augusta,  and  the 
late  King  Mrs.  Jordan,  Lord  Melbourne  said.  The 
member  of  the  Royal  Family,  Lord  Melbourne  con- 
tinued, gives  notice  to  the  Privy  Council  of  his 
intention  to  marry,  and  if  they  don't  disapprove, 
it's  supposed  the  King  will  consent.  Lord  Mel- 
bourne said  it  was  a  difficult  subject  the  marriage 
of  the  Royal  Family  ;  marrying  a  subject  was  incon- 
venient, and  there  was  inconvenience  in  foreigners  ; 
*'  It  was  very  often  done "  (marrying  subjects)  ; 
"  Kings  did  it ;  and  I  don't  know  there  was  any  harm 
in  it,"  said  Lord  Melbourne.  Anne  Hyde  was  the 
last  who  married  a  Prince  who  became  King,  and  that 
was  considered  a  dreadful  thing.  Lord  M.  said  he 
had  been  looking  at  some  of  those  letters  [George  III.'s] 
to  Lord  North  which  seemed  to  him  very  ill  written,^ 
both  as  to  hand  and  style,  and  in  bad  English.  Lord 
North  was  a  great  favourite  of  George  IV.'s,  Lord 
Melbourne  said ;  "  Lord  North  was  a  very  easy, 
good-natured  man,"  and  tlie  King  knew  him  "  when 
he  first  came  in  to  life."  Lord  Thurlow,  whom 
Mr.  Pitt  beat  and  turned  out  in  '93,^  turned  to 
George  IV.  and  became  also  a  great  favourite  of  his. 
He  was  clever  but  ill-tempered.  Lord  Melbourne  said. 
Wednesday,  29th  August. — Lord  Melbourne  said  he 
had  been  looking  at  those  letters  to  Lord  North,  and 
found  on  closer  examination  that  they  were  Avritten 
with  much  more  practical  knowledge  and  know- 
ledge  of   men   than   he   had   at  first  thought.     The 

which  governs  (with  certain  exceptions)  the  marriages  of  all  descendants 
of  George  II.     See  ante,  p.  333,  and  Vol.  II.,  p.  43. 

^  Lord  Melbourne  modified  this  opinion  next  day. 

2  Partly  in  consequence  of  his  intrigiies  with  the  Prince  of  Wales 
against  Pitt  in  the  matter  of  the  Regency  Bill. 


392  LORD    NORTH'S    LETTERS  [*t.  i9 

letters  he  has  been  reading  are  relative  to  a  Negotia- 
tion which  the  King  entered  into,  with  the  Oppo- 
sition, in  order  to  strengthen  the  Government ; 
and  Lord  Melbourne  related  several  parts  of  it,  which 
made  him  smile  and  which  he  said  were  true  enough. 
Lord  Melbourne  said  he  (George  III.)  couldn't  bear 
Mr.  Fox,  for  that  he  says  in  one  of  these  letters 
that  he  (Lord  North)  might  offer  him  any  situation 
which  did  not  bring  him  in  immediate  contact  with 
the  King,  or  into  the  Closet ;  and  as  he  (Mr.  Fox) 
never  had  any  principles,  he  wouldn't  have  any 
difficulty  in  changing.  These  letters  prove.  Lord 
Melbourne  said,  what  strong  personal  dislikes  the 
King  had.  These  letters  to  Lord  North,  Lord  M. 
thinks,  were  returned  to  George  IV.  by  Mrs.  Douglas 
on  the  death  of  her  husband,  who  was  the  son 
of  Lady  Glenbervie,  Lord  North's  daughter  ;  Lord 
North  had  three  daughters.  Lady  Glenbervie, 
Lady  Sheffield,  and  Lady  Charlotte  Lindsay  (whom 
I  know)  ;  all  very  clever.  Lord  M.  says.  He  had 
3  sons,  George  (who  was  a  very  pleasant,  lively  man 
and  a  great  bon-vivant.  Lord  M.  says),  Frederic, 
and  Frank ;  who  were  all  in  succession  Earls  of 
Guilford.  The  present  Lord  is  son  to  Lord  North's 
brother^  who  was  a  Bishop,  Lord  M.  told  me.  Lord 
North  died  in  '93,  and  Lord  M.  remembers  seeing 
him  (when  Lord  M.  was  a  boy)  led  into  the  House 
of  Lords,  quite  blind,  at  Hastings'  trial ;  he  was 
Lord  Guilford  for  a  very  short  time. 

Lord  M.  does  not  think  that  George  III.  was  very 
fond  of  Mr.  Pitt.  Spoke  of  the  violent  dislikes 
George  III.  and  George  IV.  had ;  William  IV.  had  them 
also,   but  Lord  M.   said  they  were  easily  got  over. 

^  Brownlow  North,   Bishop  successively  of  Lichfield,   Worcester, 
and  Winchester. 


1838]  DR.    KEATE    AND    ETON  393 

Spoke  of  George  III.'s  hand-writing  ;  of  mine,  which 
Lord  M.  thinks  very  legible  and  generally  very  good  ; 
of  my  inclination  to  imitate  hand-writings,  and 
people, — which  Lord  M.  said,  showed  quickness,  and 
was  in  the  Family  ;  of  George  IV.'s  mimickry.  I 
said  I  kept  a  journal,  which,  as  Lord  Melbourne  said, 
is  very  laborious,  but  a  very  good  thing  ;  for  that  it 
was  astonishing  in  transacting  business,  how  much  one 
forgot,  and  how  one  forgot  why  one  did  the  things. 

Thursday,  SOth  August.  ...  I  gave  Lord  M.  this 
Pamphlet  of  Sir  H.  Taylor's  which  Mamma  lent  me. 
We  talked  about  many  things,  and  in  going  home 
I  asked  Lord  M.  how  long  Lord  North  had  been 
Prime  Minister  to  George  III.  ;  "  From  'TO  till  '82," 
he  told  me.  "  The  Duke  of  Grafton  "  (who  preceded 
him,  and  was  the  present  Duke  of  Grafton's  father) 
"  went  away,"  Lord  M.  continued,  "  without  telhng 
any  body  and  without  telling  the  King  ;  they  were 
difficult  times,  and  he  went  away ;  I  know  why 
he  went  away,  people  are  always  doing  those 
foolish  things ;  and  the  King  didn't  know  what 
to  do  ;  he  sent  for  Lord  Gower  "  ^  (I  forget  what  he 
was),  who,  I  think  Lord  M.  said,  refused  it ;  "  and 
then  he  sent  for  his  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  " 
(Lord  North)  "  and  made  him  his  Prime  Minister." 
Lord  M.  spoke  of  Dr.  Keate,  and  told  me  an  anecdote 
of  him  and  George  III. ;  and  then  he  said  that  Dr. 
Keate  couldn't  bear  to  be  reminded  of  his  boyish 
days  at  Eton ;  somebody,  who  Lord  M.  knows, 
reminded  Keate  when  he  was  walking  across  the 
School- Yard  with  him,  of  the  window,  pointing  at 
it,  out  of  which  they  had  often  jumped,  upon  which 
Dr.  Keate  said,  "  Don't  mention  it ;  it's  a  very 
foolish  remark." 

^  See  note,  post,  p.  397. 


394  THE    FRENCH    AND    MEXICO  [^t.i9 

Friday,  Slst  August. — Lord  M.  then  said,  that  the 
French  were  going  to  send  out  a  fleet  to  Mexico, 
with  which  State  they  have  been  in  a  quarrel  for 
some  time, — and  that  they  meant  to  send  the  Prince 
de  Joinville  with  it,  to  ask  for  reparation,  and  if  not, 
to  attack  the  fort  of  Aloa  which  commands  the 
river,  and  which  it  would  not  be  agreeable  for  us 
if  the  French  were  to  possess  ;  and  Lord  Palmerston 
proposes  we  should  send  a  swift  sailing  Vessel  to 
Mexico  to  apprize  the  Mexicans  of  what  was  to  take 
place  and  to  advise  them  to  make  reparation.  And 
also.  Lord  P.  proposes  sending  a  Vessel  to  Guiana, 
where  the  French  are  making  great  encroachmxCnts, 
and  to  see  what  they  are  about. 

Lady  Cork^  is  92,  a  very  strange  old  woman; 
Lord  M.  knows  her  ;  she  was  clever,  a  great  favourite 
of  George  III.  and  Qvieen  Charlotte.  She  was  a  Miss 
Monckton,  sister  to  Lord  Galway,  he  said.  Lord  M. 
said  in  returning  Dr.  Hook's  sermon  (which  I  sent 
him  to  read)  when  he  came  in,  that  it  was  eager, 
but  nothing  very  particular,  and  able.  Lady  Holland 
seems  ''  verj^  fond  of  Senfft,"  Lord  M.  observed ; 
"  she  would  settle  that  Embassy  too,  as  she  does 
every  thing  else,"  he  said  laughing.  Lord  M.  said, 
in  speaking  of  Taylor's  pamphlet,^  "  There  is  no 
force  in  it ;  it  isn't  pointed."  Taylor  is  very  fond 
of  writing,  he  says,  and  fancies  he  writes  well. 
Spoke  of  Lady  C.  Bury's  book.^     Lord  M.  says  these 

^  Mary,  daughter  of  the  first  Viscount  Galway,  married,  as  his 
second  wife,  Edmund,  seventh  Earl  of  Cork.     She  died  in  1840. 

2  Remarks  on  an  Article  for  the  "  Edinburgh  Review''  on  the  Times  of 
George  III.  and  George  IV.,  by  General  Sir  Herbert  Taylor,  who  had 
been  Secretary  successively  to  the  Duke  of  York,  George  III.,  Queen 
Charlotte,  and  William  IV. 

^  A  Diary  illtistrative  of  the  Times  of  George  IV.,  published  in  1838. 
See  ante,  p.  310. 


<    V.^" 


:.^Aii-^- 


•yt.  f_ /I  .'^L.  Ukey  r'VM^  -<l^  ^^n&mxHXTO 


1838]  CONCERNING    BOOKS  395 

things  make  less  impression  than  people  I'aney  ; 
they  "  make  a  day's  noise  ;  but  nobody  minds  them 
much."  Spoke  of  Lady  Anne  Hamilton/  who 
attended  Queen  Caroline  at  her  Trial ;  Lady  Char- 
lotte Lindsay  gave  evidence.  "  Lord  Egremont 
said,"  continued  Lord  M.,  "  '  As  for  Guilford,- 
he  twaddled  like  a  waiting  maid  when  he  gave  evi- 
dence ;  but  his  Sister  lied  like  a  man,'  "  which  made 
us  both  laugh  very  much.  Spoke  of  Kenney,^  who 
is  Author  (Lord  M.  told  me)  of  Love,  Law,  and 
Physic,  and  Raising  the  Wind,  and  is  at  Holland 
House.  Spoke  of  my  knowing  Rogers  and  Moore  ; 
having  seen  Scott  and  Southey.  Lord  M.  rather 
admires  Southey 's  works,  and  thinks  his  Life  of 
Nelson  very  pretty.  Spoke  of  his  Life  of  Cowper. 
Spoke  of  a  new  book  lying  on  the  table,  sent  to  me  by 
Granville  Penn,^  which  Lord  M.  looked  at  and  said 
he  thought  might  be  curious  ;  it  is  the  Life  of  Sir 
William  Penn,  Admiral  in  Cromwell's  time,  and  who, 
with  Venables,  took  Jamaica.  Spoke  of  Mrs.  Hutch- 
inson's Memoirs  of  Colonel  Hutchinson,  which  Lord  M. 
thinks  very  curious  ;  spoke  of  her  violence  ;  spoke 
of  Clarendon's  book  which  Lord  M.  said  "  is  a  fine 
book."     I   observed   there   were  few   books   on   the 

^  Lady  Anne  Hamilton  was  a  lady-in-waiting  of  Caroline,  wife 
of  George  IV.,  whom  she  accompanied  to  England  in  1820.  The  Secret 
History  of  the  Court  was  published  without  her  name,  but  the  author- 
ship was  never  disputed. 

2  Lord  Guilford  was  the  son  of  Lord  North,  George  III.'s  Minister, 
and  his  sister,  here  mentioned,  was  Lady  Charlotte  Lindsay,  wife  of 
Lieut.-Col.  Hon.  John  Lindsay.     See  ante,  p.  392. 

^  James  Kenney  (1780-1849),  a  successful  dramatist.  He  was  the 
original  Jeremy  Diddler  in  his  own  Raising  the  Wind,  when  it 
was  acted  by  amateurs.  The  play  was  subsequently  performed  at 
Covent  Garden. 

*  Granville  Penn  (1761-1844),  grandson  of  William  Penn,  the 
founder  of  Pennsylvania. 


396  NAPOLEONIC    ATTRACTION  [/et.  i9 

Parliamentary  side ;  he  replied  few  at  the  time,  but 
a  good  many  since.  He  mentioned  one  by  Brodie, 
a  Scotchman  ;  Bishop  Burnet's  Memoirs  of  his  own 
time,  during  Charles  II. 's  reign  ;  and  he  said,  "  There 
is  a  book  which  I  think  would  amuse  Your  Majesty, 
and  would  be  of  use  to  you,  and  which  isn't  long, 
which  is  Guizot's  account  of  the  Revolution."  It's 
only  in  2  vols.,  and  is  a  summary  of  whole  thing, 
he  said. 

Lord  M.  said  Lady  Holland  was  a  great  friend 
of  Pozzo's,  and  that  his  first  acquaintance  with 
Pozzo  was  at  Holland  House.  I  asked  if  she  knew 
Sebastiani ;  he  said  she  did,  but  didn't  like  him 
much,  except  from  his  connection  with  Napoleon 
"  whom  she  adored."  She  never  knew  Napoleon, 
Lord  Melbourne  added,  but  saw  him  at  Paris  at 
the  Peace  of  Amiens.  She  used  to  send  him  things 
she  knew  he  liked,  said  Lord  M.  ;  when  he  was  at 
St.  Helena  she  sent  him  gateaux  and  chocolate,  &c. 
"  She  was  half  on  his  side,"  Lord  M.  continued,  "  if 
not  more."  Spoke  of  Lady  E.  Wortley's  ^  admira- 
tion for  Napoleon.  Soult  was  no  friend  of  Napoleon, 
Lord  M.  said  ;  none  of  them,  he  continued,  were  to 
be  compared  to  Napoleon  himself  ;  the  two  best  after 
Napoleon,  Lord  M.  said,  were  Dessaix  who  was 
killed  at  Marengo,  and  Kleber  who  was  murdered  in 
Egypt. 

I  asked  Lord  M.  what  Lord  Gower,  whom  he 
mentioned  to  me  before,  was  ;  that  Lord  Gower,  he 
said,  was  the  Duke  of  Sutherland's  grandfather ; 
he   was   "  Lord   Privy    Seal  "    when   the   King   sent 

^  Lady  Emraeline  AVortley,  daughter  of  the  fifth  Duke  of  Rutland, 
wife  of  Charles  Stuart  Wortley.  Her  daughter,  Victoria,  goddaughter 
of  the  Duchess  of  Kent,  afterwards  Lady  Welby-Gregory,  was  some- 
time a  maid-of-honour  to  the  Queen. 


1838]  GEORGE    III.    AND    HIS    MINISTERS  397 

for  him.'  "  He  did  not  think  himself  equal  to  it  " 
(being  Prime  Minister)  ;  "he  was  a  man  who  took 
great  part  in  politics."  Lord  M.  also  told  me  that 
he  believes  the  present  Lord  Bute  to  be  the  great- 
grandson  of  the  Minister  of  George  III.  "  George 
III.  found  tlie  Duke  of  Newcastle  and  Mr.  Pitt, 
and  everything  was  going  on  very  well,  when  he 
was  advised  to  change  ;  he  couldn't  bear  Mr.  Pitt  ; 
who  was  afterwards  Lord  Chatham  ;  and  he  took 
Lord  Bute  in  his  place  ;  and  then  followed  all  that 
unpopularity."  I  asked  if  these  letters  of  George 
III.  showed  great  confidence  in  Lord  North ; 
Lord  M.  said  "  they  show  a  great  liking  for  him, 
more  than  a  great  confidence."  That  the  King 
never  seemed  to  think  him  strong  enough  ;  Lord 
North,  all  along.  Lord  M.  continued,  was  pursuing  a 
Policy  contrary  to  what  he  himself  approved,  but 
which  he  was  urged  to  by  the  King  :  and  liOrd  North 
remonstrated  very  much  with  the  King.  The  differ- 
ence. Lord  M.  observed  before,  between  George  IV. 
and  his  father,  was,  that  the  former  (which  Knighton's 
Memoirs  show,  Lord  M.  said)  always  required  some- 
body to  lean  upon,  whereas  the  latter  always  wished 
to  act  for  himself,  and  only  yielded,  but  said  at  the 
same  time  he  disliked  doing  it.  He  never  would  have 
yielded  on  the  Catholic  Question,  Lord  M.  continued, 
nor  would  the  Duke  of  York  ;  the  late  King  was  for 
it ;  but  George  IV.  did  it  very  unwillingly.  George  III. 
was  deeply  hurt  at  the  loss  of  the  American  provinces, 
which  I  observed  was  no  wonder  ;  I  said  I  thought  it 
was   his   fault.     Lord   M.    said   most   likely   it   was  ; 

^  Granville,  Earl  Gower  (1721-1803),  had  sat  for  Westminster 
before  his  accession  to  the  Peerage.  Thereafter  he  was  Lord  Privy 
Seal,  Lord  Chamberlain  and  President  of  the  Council.  He  was  created 
Marquess  of  Stafford,  and  K.G.  He  married  Lady  Louisa  Egerton, 
daughter  and  co-heiress  of  Scrope,  firet  Duke  of  Bridgwater. 


398  COLONIAL    POLICY  [mt.iQ 

but  that  it  was  impossible  any  longer  to  keep  up 
the  great  Colonial  Policy,  namely  that  they  should 
exclusively  trade  with  England  and  make  nothing 
for  themselves  ;  even  Lord  Chatham,  Lord  M.  said, 
who  all  along  advocated  their  cause,  "  said  they 
shouldn't  drive  one  hob-nail  for  themselves."  The 
Separation  was  easily  done,  they  had  nothing  to  do 
but  to  declare  it.  Lord  M.  continued  that  the  first 
settlers  were  composed  of  people  who  left  England 
in  discontent, — of  dissenters  &c.,  and  consequently 
no  loyal  people  could  spring  from  them.  Spoke  of 
the  people  whom  William  III.  ennobled,  which  I've 
no  time  to  enumerate.  He  told  a  most  absurd 
anecdote  of  a  very  fat  little  porter  at  Lansdowne 
House.  "  He  is  a  leading  man  in  all  the  Parish 
Debates,"  said  Lord  M.  ;  "  and  somebody  told 
Albemarle,  '  He  speaks  very  well ;  to  tell  you  the 
truth  he  speaks  very  like  my  lord.'  " 


END    OF    VOL.    I 


Printed  by  Hazell,  Walton  <£•   Viney,  Ld.,  London  and  Aylesbury. 


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